The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, February 14, 2024

VOLUME 108, ISSUE NO. 18 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

valentine’s

Kim, Tobey face off for Student Association presidency Contested elections for treasurer, secretary supplement presidential race FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER

Learn about all eight candidates on pages 8-10

2024

Rice kicks off Black History Month BELINDA ZHU

ASST. NEWS EDITOR Rice is celebrating Black History Month with a variety of events. This year’s national theme for Black History Month, an annual celebration in February dedicated to recognizing African Americans’ achievements and contributions in U.S. history, is “African Americans and the Arts.” Events at Rice include a lecture series, hangouts and a first-ever kickoff event.

Avery Hartwell, chair of the BHM committee and associate director of diversity, equity and inclusion for student engagement, said Black history has been rewritten in a way that doesn’t show the many contributions African Americans have made to the U.S. “Black history was created so we have the time to acknowledge the contributions, the struggles, the resilience and perseverance of African Americans here in America,” Hartwell said. “It is very important to celebrate [at Rice] because if we don’t know where we come from, we tend to repeat the history. It is very important to remind ourselves as African Americans of the rich

SEE BHM PAGE 2

COURTESY JEFF FITLOW

history

Disability report ranks Rice 35th JAMES CANCELARICH

THRESHER STAFF

A disability ranking study placed Rice as 35th in the country out of 106 universities studied for disability inclusion and access in higher education.

Created by Bowen Cho, a disability scholar-activist at the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University, this project ranked top universities on four pillars. In Cho’s ranking system, no school scored better than a D. The top-ranked schools in the project were Yale University, Harvard University and the University of Idaho.

The first pillar, support and accessibility, measured metrics such as building accessibility, time between classes, counseling services and remote accessibility. In their report, Cho wrote that a 10-minute transfer period between classes, which Rice currently employs, can cause issues for people with mobilityrelated disabilities. Another facet of support and accessibility is the time for an initial counseling session, which according to Cho can take weeks at some universities.

The second pillar is inclusion, which was measured through the existence of mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion programs and the presence of peer support groups on campus. The third pillar is safety, measured by experiences of ableism, police response to crisis and students of concern reporting. The fourth pillar is critical pedagogy, measured by support for racial justice, disability studies programs, critical theory and ethical research.

“I designed the survey with four categories (pillars) of measurement to try to get a holistic picture of disability support in higher education, especially since support can mean vastly different things to different students,” Cho wrote in an

email to the Thresher.

Instead of purely academic research, Cho said that the project was designed with lived experiences in mind.

“Lived experience research is particularly important in order to break a long and entrenched pattern of academicians and medical experts defining what quality of life means for disabled people, often ignoring or speaking over the voices of disabled people when we express

I would say that it is disabling when a person’s needs aren’t being met, and because society is built around neurotypical and abled people’s needs, neurodivergence can indeed be disabling in that context.

Bowen Cho DISABILITY SCHOLAR

our needs and identities in ways that don’t fit within a medical or pathologizing frame of disability,” Cho wrote.

Cho said the project was primarily based on publicly available data and survey responses, receiving one survey response from Rice.

“I am transparent about the limited resources I had to conduct this project, and I designed the survey in anticipation of receiving a small response rate,” Cho wrote. “The average response rate per university was three, and the median was two.”

Cho’s background in disability research includes Students of Concern research, which was included in the ranking system.

ISSUE

Cho defines Students of Concern as a tool for surveying vulnerable students who are perceived as a threat to themselves or others.

Director of the Student Wellbeing Office Agnes Ho said that Students of Concern reporting is available for students and faculty to refer students to the wellbeing office if there are concerns about mental health.

“A Wellbeing Advisor will reach out to the student of concern [to] provide resources and connect them with support services,” Ho wrote in an email to the Thresher.

Cho says they include mental health under the lens of disability in their project to highlight the intersectionality of disability advocacy.

“I would say that it is disabling when a person’s needs aren’t being met, and because society is built around neurotypical and abled people’s needs, neurodivergence can indeed be disabling in that context,” Cho wrote.

President Reggie DesRoches said that Rice remains committed to disability accessibility and inclusion.

“Rice is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive educational and work environment to all students, faculty and staff. We work hard, especially through our Disabilities Resource Center, to address these priorities,” DesRoches wrote in an email to the Thresher.

“We are in the process of launching a self-review of our services to identify areas of future focus … Upon completion of our self-review of accessibility services, I expect new initiatives will be developed to prioritize enhancing our campus experience and accessibility,” DesRoches added.

Jeff Anderson, an administrative assistant at the Disabilities Resource Center, says that the DRC works to give students accommodations and make the campus an inclusive environment.

SEE DISABILITY REPORT PAGE 2

2 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

THE RICE THRESHER

FROM FRONT PAGE

BHM

Being Black at Rice is a unique experience, but it means a lot to be reaffirmed by the faculty to know they took such care in making sure Black History Month started off the right way.

Daijah Wilson JONES COLLEGE FRESHMAN

history and resilience portrayed by ancestors.”

Jazara Nelson, a BHM planning committee member and the president of

the Rice Black Women’s Association, said planning events beyond lectures was a priority.

“While helping plan the BHM events, the most important thing to me was ensuring the month was fun and enjoyable for everyone, specifically Black students,” Nelson, a Wiess College senior, wrote in an email to the Thresher.

“In the past, most of the BHM events have been very educational and lecture-based.

This is great and all, but I think being at Rice and taking rigorous classes, it’s nice to get a reprieve. Beyond this, being Black comes with a lot of burdens, so it’s nice for there to be a balance between the heavy and the light things.”

The kickoff event, titled “Called to Create: African Americans and the Arts,” featured singers, dancers, poetry readings and remarks from Rice President Reggie DesRoches.

New public menstrual dispensers launch KENZIE LANGHORNE

FOR THE THRESHER

The Menstrual Product Accessibility Program installed 36 public menstrual product dispensers in high-traffic areas on campus. Housing and Dining and Facilities and Capital Planning have worked together to stock at least 3,600 menstrual products in dispensers across campus. According to Fidel Gonzalez, the director of custodial services at Facilities Engineering and Planning, all products will be free of charge for the Rice community.

The Student Association Student Health Services Commission worked with Rice’s Office of Public Affairs to create a Free Menstrual Products Layer on Rice University’s interactive campus map.

The layer contains pins and a detailed description of the location of each free menstrual product dispenser, including building, floor and bathroom type.

Ammar Siddiqi, the director of the SA’s Student Health Services Commission, led the current quest to have dispensers installed on campus. He said the project began back in 2018, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the efforts toward installing the dispensers were lost.

“The Student Health Services commission started out by conducting a pilot survey by placing free menstrual product dispensers in restrooms across Rice to track usage [in 2018],” Siddiqi, a Hanszen College senior, wrote in an email to the Thresher. “They were then able to use the data they collected to develop a proposal to install the dispensers that prioritized high-traffic locations.

Unfortunately, once they received funding in 2020 to bring this project to fruition, the pandemic began, which brought the project to a standstill.”

Melissa Geng, a member of the Menstrual Product Accessibility Program student association committee, said the committee worked last semester to push the initiative through because there was no streamlined process to access menstrual products.

“People were thinking that the ones [we had] before were not sufficient and were not refilled in time,” Geng, a McMurtry College freshman, said. “Sometimes they have to go to their Resident Associates and go to the drawers in their college’s communal bathrooms to find those.”

Geng said the committee emailed the brand Flow for the dispensers and met with students from other universities with established menstrual product accessibility systems.

AMELIA DAVIS / THRESHER Siddiqi said they have delegated the responsibility of restocking dispensers within academic and residential colleges to Rice staff.

“Facilities and Capital Planning will restock dispensers in academic buildings, whereas Housing and Dining will restock dispensers in residential colleges,” Siddiqi wrote. “We deliberately requested that they maintain the dispensers [rather than] a student organization because they are already responsible for the upkeep of restrooms, and students tend to be less reliable due to time constraints.”

Siddiqi said sustainability and longevity were significant concerns throughout the project due to low funding.

“We wanted to ensure that the dispensers would remain stocked to be of utility to students five, 10 and even 50 years down the road,” Siddiqi wrote.

“After I submitted the proposal to the dean of undergraduates, we were allocated $9,000 for the purpose of purchasing the dispensers which was nearly half of what we requested. Fortunately, we were able to avert this issue by finding a cheaper manufacturer.”

Brown College junior Maya Adhikari said although she has not used the dispensers, the program as a whole is really important because it reduces period stigma while providing access to products.

“There is a lot of work being done to fight against sexism that takes on several different forms and one that has often been ignored is women’s health, especially in a post Roe v. Wade society,” Adhikari said. “It really works on fighting the stigma around women’s bodies.”

Gonzales said he hopes the Menstrual Product Accessibility Program will continue to expand across campus.

“This time, several machines were installed and replaced, but not all of them,” Gonzales said. “I hope in the future this service can be provided in any single women’s restroom on campus.”

Hartwell was surprised that there hadn’t been a grand kickoff to BHM before.

“You want everyone to know, ‘POW,’ we are here,” Hartwell said. “I realized a lot of people don’t know which month BHM and that’s okay, but I want to make sure that there is a loud sound when it comes.”

“You walk into the student center or on campus; you feel the presence,” Hartwell added. “You see the green, red, yellow.

You see the Black power. You see the fists.

You feel a different energy on campus, like, ‘Woah, what’s going on today?’ Then you realize it’s BHM, and all individuals who identify as Black feel a sense of pride that is infectious throughout the campus.”

Jones College freshman Daijah Wilson said the showcase was a great way to reconnect with the African culture her ancestors never got to experience in its

entirety.

“Being Black at Rice is a unique experience, but it means a lot to be reaffirmed by the faculty to know they took such care in making sure Black History Month started off the right way,” Wilson said. “Having the support of our university president was really special.

I loved the African cultural drum music and the emphasis on fostering community throughout the programming.”

In addition to the kickoff event, Wilson also enjoyed the Thursday hangout.

“The soul food, Stuff’d Chicken, was super delicious and reminded me of the same food my family makes back home,” Wilson said. “The whole ‘cookout’ experience of enjoying good food with your family and friends while you crack jokes and play cards is such a universally Black experience — I was just happy to be able to share that at Rice.”

FROM FRONT PAGE

DISABILITY REPORT

“Applications for accommodation are promptly reviewed when they arrive at the DRC,” Anderson wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Accommodations are [then] recommended to address the needs of the individual.”

According to Anderson, the DRC requires documentation provided by a credentialed professional of a diagnosis, a description of the limitation and the accommodation to address the limitation.

Ling DeBellis, an advisor for the Student Association’s Students with Disabilities Committee, said that the DRC primarily relies on student self-advocacy for accommodations.

“You have to get a physician’s approval, you have to submit documentation. That can take a long time. It makes students really anxious. If you need accommodations now, it’s always a hassle,” DeBellis said.

DeBellis, a doctoral student, said that a new disability online portal would offer students a single location for disability related documentation and information, but it was met with some controversy.

“There was a debate on whether students should be able to have the system portal directly send the letters on behalf of the student to professors,” DeBellis said.

According to DeBellis, the DRC is understaffed, which can occasionally lead to issues for students seeking accommodations. The DRC did not respond to a question about staffing in time for publication.

“Delays may occur if insufficient documentation is received.

The documentation is reviewed and if more documentation is needed the DRC contacts the student or staff member. The student or staff member is notified of the approval if the documentation is sufficient,” Anderson said.

DeBellis said that accommodations, while being generally respected by faculty, can lead to logistical issues.

“What we can tell is that a lot of our peer institutions have a designated testing center,” DeBellis said, run by disability programs where students with accommodations can take exams. “[Faculty at Rice] don’t have a problem giving accommodations. Their stress is that they have to find an extra room. Or, ‘When am I going to give them a double time exam?’”

Lindsey Vongthavaravat, the director of the SA Students with Disabilities Committee, said the committee is also working on a program to support new students with the accommodations process.

“Currently we are working on a disability omnibud project at Will Rice [College]. That project aims to provide peer mentorship where upperclassmen can give aid to entering freshmen,” Vongthavaravat, a Will Rice sophomore, said.

Cho says that while accommodations are a first step for disability inclusion, much work is to be done to dismantle the systems that subjugate disability. They said this is the reason they view disability advocacy with an intersectional approach.

“It’s important to acknowledge how discrimination can be compounded for people with multiple marginalized identities, including disability and race,” Cho wrote. “Capitalism provides the motivation for institutions like academia, which functions largely these days to prepare students to enter the corporate workforce with large amounts of debt, to view disability, and anyone generally who is less productive, as a liability and burden.”

I would say that it is disabling when a person’s needs aren’t being met, and because society is built around neurotypical and abled people’s needs, neurodivergence can indeed be disabling in that context.

Bowen Cho DISABILITY SCHOLAR-ACTIVIST, PAUL K. LONGMORE INSTITUTE

ANDREA GOMEZ / THRESHER CHLOE CHAN / THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUAY 14, 2024 • 3

NEWS

Rice enters new university paid partnership with the MFAH VIOLA HSIA

ASST. NEWS EDITOR Starting this year, Rice IDs will no longer be sufficient to enter The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Instead, Rice now participates in the MFAH’s University Paid Partnership program, requiring students to pick up a UPP membership card to gain access. This is due to a change in the MFAH’s pricing, which has caused the Rice Program Council and Student Activities to revise their partnership, according to Brianna Bukowski, an RPC Passport to Houston Committee co-chair.

“For us to be able to continue our partnership as it was before (i.e., only requiring a Rice ID at entry), we would have been required to pay nearly three times the amount we were paying in previous years,” Bukowski, a Sid Richardson College junior, wrote in an email to the Thresher. “This simply was not feasible for our budget, and we found it best to switch our agreement to the [University Paid Partnership] program, leading to the change we are currently undergoing.”

Bukowski said the UPP program gives students a predetermined number of physical passes to show if they go to the MFAH. At time of publication, the Passport to Houston Committee has provided 469 passes since the new program went live Jan. 19, according to Tahj Blackman, assistant director of

campus events. A total of 2,550 passes were ordered. The RPC will purchase up to 100 additional passes if needed.

RPC Passport to Houston Committee co-chair Nick Harrison wrote that the RPC was excited for this switch, as it allows students even more access to the museum than before.

“We are excited about the fact that Rice students can now access all sections of the museum, including permanent collections and all special exhibitions, given they have a UPP card,” Harrison, a Baker College junior, wrote in an email to the Thresher.

We are excited about the fact that Rice students can now access all sections of the museum, including permanent collections and all special exhibitions.

Nick Harrison RPC PASSPORT TO HOUSTON COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR

“This is a fantastic benefit from being a member in the University Paid Partnership program, which was not provided with our previous agreement.”

Additionally, according to Harrison,

the UPP pass also provides a 10% discount, as well as an invitation to the MFAH’s College Week, exclusive discounts on special ticketed exhibitions and free admission to most lectures.

RPC President Ryann Tudor said that she hopes this change won’t stop students from continuing to participate in the program.

“We understand that retrieving a physical UPP card from the Student Activities office and having to keep it on your person in order to access the MFAH is an extra task for students,” Tudor, a Wiess College senior, wrote in an email to the Thresher. “However, it only has to be claimed once per year, and we hope that students will respond with the understanding that this was a necessary change to the program.”

Blackman said that he was excited to see where this program would continue to grow, as well as other partnerships under the Passport to Houston.

“I really look forward to the Museum

WILLIAM LIU / THRESHER

of Fine Arts wanting to look to us as community partners, and just growing that relationship beyond what it’s been where it is now, and really looking at what it could be,” Blackman said. “I’m curious to see what that looks like not only for or with the MFAH, but with other passport programs.”

General Education Committee to decide fate of distributions, hosts student forum our current university general education curriculum and provide recommendations for a revised approach,” Rob Bruce, Dean The General Education Committee of the Susanne M. Glasscock School of hosted two undergraduate student forums Continuing Studies, wrote in an email to Feb. 6 and 12 to discuss the future of the the Thresher.

Rice currently fulfills its accrediting distribution system at Rice.

The committee was created in February agency’s GenEd requirement via the 2023 following recommendations from a distribution system, in which students working faculty group. They are nearing are required to take a minimum of three the end of the first of three phases, distribution-designated classes in each of which consist of research, proposal and the three distribution groups.

According to Associate Dean for implementation. These forums served as a showcase of the committee’s work thus far Undergraduate Education and chair of and were a time for students to share their the GenEd committee Leslie Schwindtopinions and input. Any changes proposed Bayer, this system has been around Rice by the committee will likely take effect no since 1967 with only minor tweaks over time. First-Year Writing Intensive Seminar earlier than Fall 2026.

As outlined by the Southern Association courses and Analyzing Diversity courses of Colleges and Schools Commission were added to the GenEd requirements in on Colleges, Rice’s accrediting agency, 2012 and 2022, respectively. The last big GenEd refers to portions of undergraduate effort at doing a wholesale evaluation of a curriculum which are aimed at providing a potential reform of the system occurred in the 1990s, but the recommendation did not broad education base.

“As much as being a student at Rice pass the Faculty Senate vote.

“This [current committee] is pretty reflects course work toward a major or minor, as well as electives classes, our historic; it hasn’t really been done general education program reflects a broad permanently on this scale for at least 30 curriculum that should help students years,” Schwindt-Bayer said.

The student forums were held to share achieve essential learning outcomes,” Dean the committee’s of Undergraduates research on Bridget Gorman how GenEd is wrote in an email to the Thresher.

There’s no clear vision for approached around the country with Professor of our distribution system, students, and to hear Business and so it’s not entirely clear what students were Public Policy interested in. Some Douglas Schuler why we’re doing this, and presented examples explained in what you’re going to get included Stanford’s an email to the out of it.

Civic, Liberal, and Thresher that Global Education having a plan for Leslie Schwindt-Bayer requirements, GenEd is crucial ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR and the University for institutional UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION AND of Alabama at accreditation.

CHAIR OF THE GENED COMMITTEE Birmingham’s City Schuler was the chair of a working faculty group established as Classroom requirement.

“It was interesting that we were able by the Faculty Senate in 2020 to evaluate GenEd at Rice. In 2021, the group submitted to see how a few choice universities do a series of six recommendations before distribution systems, just to get a taste dissolution, which included establishing of what the possibilities are,” Wiess a permanent GenEd committee that would College junior Lucy Bozinov said. “I was still thinking about it in terms of this periodically reassess Rice’s approach. [distribution] system.

“The GenEd committee is following three-pronged Faculty Senate recommendations to review After looking at what other universities

IVANA HSYUNG

THRESHER STAFF

AMELIA DAVIS / THRESHER Leslie Schwindt-Bayer speaks during the student forum on values highlighted by the American Association of Colleges & Universities for general education requirements.

have done, I’ve seen some of the bigger potential.”

According to Schwindt-Bayer, the strengths of the current distribution system lie in its flexibility, variation and relatively easy-to-understand structure.

Hanszen College sophomore Nathaniel Boateng agrees with this sentiment.

“What captivated me about Rice and similar peer institutions is its liberal arts education and its emphasis on freedom of the mind, where you master many modes of thinking to gain a better perspective of the world and be a well informed citizen to contribute to society positively,” Boateng said.

Schwindt-Bayer explained, however, that the system is often inconsistent in what counts for distribution and that there can be insufficient course offerings per distribution group.

“There’s no clear vision for our distribution system, so it’s not entirely clear why we’re doing this, and what you’re going to get out of it,” Schwindt-Bayer said.

According to Schwindt-Bayer, each school decides which of their courses count for distribution credit. For example, for a course to be approved for distribution group 1, a request must be reviewed and accepted by the School of Humanities’ School Course Review Committees.

Incentive to add new courses to the distribution list thus largely falls on the professors.

“There’s really not a way to individually petition for it [as a student],” SchwindtBayer said.

According to Schwindt-Bayer, the GenEd committee has hosted over 25 events and talked to more than 300 administrators, faculty, staff and alumni. They have conducted over 80 focus group interviews with different undergraduate populations, such as student-athletes, transfer students, students of color and peer academic advisors. Schwindt-Bayer explained that the committee wants to consider what makes Rice unique and build upon it in the eventual curricular model.

“It’s a research university and liberal arts college in one. We are a small institution, particularly for a research institution, and our location in Houston is pretty unique,” Schwindt-Bayer said.

A survey is currently available for students to provide feedback on what GenEd should look like.

“We just would really love to see students who are interested in this share their preferences and their priorities for moving forward,” Schwindt-Bayer said.

Bruce hopes that the future approach will allow for exploration and flexibility.

“It’s estimated that today’s graduates will have over 10 different jobs in their lifetime,” Bruce wrote. “How do we prepare students for their careers while also preparing them to be lifelong learners who lead and contribute to the greater good?”

4 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

NEWS

NEST360 enters Phase Two of mission to reduce infant mortality KEEGAN LEIBROCK

SENIOR WRITER

RICHARD LI / THRESHER The NEST360 initiative creates technology to reduce infant mortality.

NEST360 — The Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies — has entered phase two of its mission to reduce infant mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, gaining $65 million in funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, ELMA Philanthropies, the Children’s Investment Fund and others.

NEST360 is a multi-institutional partnership that works in conjunction with Rice360, Rice’s Institute for Global Health Technologies.

Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the director of RICE360 and a Co-Principal Investigator for the NEST360 initiative, said that the ultimate goal is to aid the countries of Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ethiopia in reaching their goals of reducing infant mortality.

“The overall goal of NEST360 is to partner with African governments to help them achieve their sustainability development goals for newborn survival, that is, to reduce the neonatal mortality rate below 12 deaths per 1000 live births,” Richards-Kortum said. “For small and sick newborns, we are strengthening the technologies needed for care … We are strengthening the clinical and biomedical workforce of these hospitals.”

Richards-Kortum said the focus of phase two is to strengthen health policies and build long-term sustainability for the interventions.

“In phase one, we made a lot of progress together to strengthen the standards for newborn care in the regard [of medical technologies],” Richards-Kortum said.

“But the policies for health technology management are not as far along … [For example], how do you get rid of technologies when they are at the end of their lifetime and plan for the procurement of new technology?

This is a place where national policies need to be strengthened and is a huge focus for us as we enter phase two.”

Ojas Dumbre, a Baker College junior who did research for the NEST360 project last summer, said that phase two is focused on long-term sustainability.

“In my eyes, [NEST360] entering phase two represents going from a sustainable model of collaborating alongside these countries to eventually leaving,” Dumbre said. “The hope is to not make a reliance on U.S. aid but rather

Motif Neurotech startup secures $18.75M

Motif ’s implant tech represents a stepchange in how we treat complicated and serious psychiatric issues Brom Rector EMPATH VENTURES FOUNDER

Entering phase two represents going from a sustainable model of collaborating alongside these countries to eventually leaving.

Ojas Dumbre BAKER COLLEGE JUNIOR

Executive Director of Rice360 Yvette Mirabal said that besides purely financial benefits, the donors of NEST360 work together to accomplish a mutual goal of reducing infant mortality.

THRESHER STAFF

AMELIA DAVIS / THRESHER

much better than medications,” said Sheth, a professor in the neurosurgery department at Baylor College of Medicine. “It provides an option for a big swath of patients.”

Joshua Woods, a third year graduate student who’s been working on the technology since 2021, contributed to the electrical components of the device. The device is powered through an external transmitter in the form of a hat the patient wears while self-administering treatment, which eliminates the need for batteries in the implant, according to Woods.

“We can just use it when we need to, and we’re not concerned about draining the power on it or having to replace it,” Woods said.

According to Woods, much of the recent funding will go towards early feasibility studies in humans with depression.

Motif’s Series A Funding came from both new and existing venture capital investors including Arboretum Ventures, Satori Neuro and Empath Ventures.

Brom Rector, the founder of Empath Ventures and a chartered financial analyst, said Empath believes there’s a need for new mental health solutions and has been an investor in Motif since December 2022.

“Motif’s implant tech represents a stepchange in how we treat complicated and serious psychiatric issues,” Rector wrote in an email to the Thresher.

According to Rector, Empath was impressed with Robinson’s capabilities in both science and business. “[Robinson] is one of those rare ones that once you meet, you just know you have to back,” Rector wrote.

This article has been cut off for print.

Read the full article at ricethresher.org.

“We’re coming together [with the donors] and pooling our resources — not just financial but also their voice, their expertise,” Mirabal said. “It ends up being a partnership with funders to achieve a joint vision of what we would like to see in the world.”

Richards-Kortum said that the project has focused on building upon existing resources in African countries rather than starting completely from scratch.

“It’s important to recognize that the majority of funding for all of the newborn care that has happened through NEST360 came from the countries’ governments,” RichardsKortum said. “NEST does not pay the salary of any doctors or nurses, we did not build any of the hospitals. We worked with the governments to improve and strengthen what was already being provided.”

Mirabal said that she hopes NEST360 will serve as a blueprint for other countries to accomplish their goals of reducing infant mortality.

“What form NEST Africa takes in the long term is going to be determined during phase two, but we envision that this directorate, this organization, will continue to be a resource for other countries,” Mirabal said. “NEST could be implemented today by any country; they could take the resources, the materials and the purchased technologies. They don’t have to go through the alliance, but we’re helping ensure the model is the best model that it can be.”

Rice hosts Science Olympiad Tournament HOPE YANG

PRASI DESAI

SENIOR WRITER Motif Neurotech, a start-up formed through the Biotech Launch Pad and founded by Rice professor Jacob Robinson, received $18.75 million from venture capital investors in Series A funding — one of the first major rounds of external funding for a start-up company. Motif was created to commercialize a pea-sized brain stimulator which was developed in Robinson’s lab at Rice to treat treatmentresistant depression.

Robinson said the device, implanted in the skull above the brain, stimulates the brain through electric currents in order to treat depression. The device has already been tested in pig models and has been shown to activate brain networks in humans at St. Luke’s hospital.

According to Robinson, approximately a third of patients with a major depressive disorder have treatment-resistant depression, which means they don’t respond to two or more drugs.

“In the mental health space, there are currently not many devices that are FDA approved,” Robinson said. “There’s a big unmet need.”

Sameer Sheth, the co-founder and chief medical officer of Motif, said the technology is advantageous in that it can be self-administered by patients at home, can be quickly implanted and is wireless.

According to Sheth, the implant is an option outside of traditional treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and medications, while not being as invasive as deep brain stimulation — an intensive surgical procedure that involves implanted electrodes in the brain.

“This provides a middle ground that takes a little surgery but is likely to work

keep the leadership local, and to use the ideas gained to expand into other countries.”

Richards-Kortum said that the funding for the project comes from multiple donors and is subdivided to accomplish the various goals of the project.

“The funds are divided across the five countries where we’ll be working,” Richards-Kortum said. “There is a portion that’s going toward direct implementation, another segment going toward making sure technologies are delivered, a portion that’s going toward the data system and then a large portion going toward ensuring sustainability beyond phase two.”

For the first time, the Rice Science Olympiad Alumni Association invited 14 middle school teams from around Houston to the Rice University Science Olympiad Regional Tournament Feb. 3. Previously open to only high school students, the team decided to include middle school teams for their second regional, according to the association’s co-director Aishani Gargapati.

“Last year, we conducted our first regional tournament here at Rice … which included only high school teams,” Gargapati, a Wiess College senior, said. “This year, we wanted to be more of a resource and help out the Houston community, so we included Division B teams, [which are] middle school teams.”

The Rice Science Olympiad Alumni Association hosts annual STEM competitions on campus for students throughout Houston, according to Garapati.

“Our organization aims to engage in STEM outreach within the Houston community,” Gargapati said. “Usually, every year, we host an invitational, which is like a competition, or a regional tournament, which is where student teams from all over the state of Texas compete in a tournament and can advance to the state and national levels.”

Due to the need for regional tournaments that included middle school participants, the team decided to incorporate Division B groups.

“The Science Olympiad director for the state of Texas … contacted us a little bit before August, and asked, ‘Are you able to also include middle school teams in your regional tournament?’”

COURTESY AISHANI GARGAPATI

Gargapati said. “There was actually a very strong need for teams to compete in regional tournaments, and [we thought] this would be great for the organization, even though it might be hard.”

According to Gargapati, the team faced challenges with expanding the tournament due to tight resources but also received help from a few volunteers from other universities.

“We have a very small campus and also a limited team and resources … to proctor both Division B and C at the same time on the same day can be very tough, but [the tournament] worked out because everyone’s very open and receptive,” Gargapati said.

Harsha Magesh, a sixth-grade student from Sprague Middle School competing at the Science Olympiad, said that he enjoyed the competition and getting to be on Rice campus.

“I liked [the tournament],” Magesh said. “It’s just that at first, my mom made me participate. It was fun to just walk around the college and see how things are … [I’d] probably do it again.

It’s just [that] you have to study a lot.”

Catherine Zhou, an event supervisor for the Olympiad, said that the middle school students were excited about the competition and performed well.

“It’s so interesting seeing how young they are. I can’t really imagine it. These tests are really hard; they’re all written for the high school level,” Zhou, a Will Rice College freshman, said. “The fact that [the middle school teams are] able to still compete and even score sometimes better than high school teams is really cool to see.”

Lilian He, an event supervisor, said that she hoped the Olympiad would help students learn science in a fun environment.

“My goal in volunteering is to be able to inspire the same sort of feelings in the students that I had when I was in the Science Olympiad,” He, a Martel College junior, said. “The Science Olympiad is so different from just studying science in a classroom. I think it’s supposed to be fun and educational. [I think it’s good] that we can run that sort of tournament at Rice, and that all the students can come out feeling accomplished or feeling like they’ve learned something new.”

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 • 5

THE RICE THRESHER

EDITORIAL

It’s past time for Rice to increase accessibility

A recent study conducted by Bowen Cho examined top universities’ accessibility and disability infrastructure, ranking them on the basis of support, inclusion, safety and critical pedagogy, among other factors. Each university was graded — and Rice placed 35th, with a whopping F. Our peers didn’t do much better. The highest-performing universities, Harvard University, Yale University and the University of Idaho, only received a D. The study laid bare many of Rice’s — and arguably universities’ as a whole — gaps in disability resources.

For starters, Rice’s Disability Resource Center is largely helpful under the conditions that students can selfadvocate. According to the DRC’s website, which outlines the general process of receiving accommodations, the onus falls on the student to contact the DRC, complete preliminary notification forms, deliver accommodation letters and initiate communication with instructors.

For students with disabilities that may limit executive function, such as depression or ADHD, the process of obtaining accommodations may be a barrier in and of itself.

“When you struggle with depression, you don’t always have the individual capacity or bandwidth to advocate for yourself, not to mention a sense of proactivity to pursue the help that you need,” a student at Harvard told Cho — and their university scored well, all things considered.

Students should provide disability documentation and make efforts to advocate for themselves. But that effort doesn’t need to be so immense it becomes

restrictive. The University of Idaho, which ranked third in Cho’s study, offers an access portal that serves as a centralized location for students to review and renew accommodations. Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, the latter of which ranked fourth in Cho’s study, utilizes a similar portal system that notifies instructors of accommodation requests. At California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Disability Resource Center Access Specialists facilitate communication with instructors on behalf of the student.

People from both inside and outside the hedges have noticed our school’s lack of comprehensive disability support systems, and we urge Rice to act.

This is far from the first time students have noticed the DRC’s gaps in coverage.

Disability accommodations are required training modules for Orientation Week advisors every year. In September 2022, an SA resolution was introduced advocating for Rice to adopt a similar online portal system. Through the portal, students would request the DRC to send accommodation letters to instructors; students would then follow up with their instructors to implement the requests.

A few weeks later, the resolution passed. Over a year later, no such system has been implemented.

Of course, disability services don’t

start — and certainly don’t end — there.

Only three universities in Cho’s sample of 106 reported full physical accessibility.

Indeed, students at Rice have long noted our campus’ infrastructure failures, from Hamman Hall’s lack of ADA compliance to a flooded Inner Loop many times it rains. Our sidewalks are (marginally) better than the city of Houston’s, though that bar is somehow lower than Rice’s accessibility grade. The Thresher’s own temporary office, which was slated to be on the fourth floor of Lovett Hall after the RMC’s now-delayed demolition, would have been inaccessible by elevator.

People from both inside and outside the hedges have noticed our school’s lack of comprehensive disability support systems, and we urge Rice to act.

Several construction projects are ongoing or looming, such as the academic quad reconstruction, the RMC’s eventual rebuild, the upcoming construction of Sarofim Hall and, of course, colleges 12 and 13. We hope that the architecture firms and Rice administration design these new buildings with these issues in mind, prioritizing, among many things, accessibility. We hope that, as the student body expands, the DRC and Wellbeing & Counseling Centers keep up with the potential increase in demand, mitigating long wait times and advocating for their students.

We want to match our demands with our own promises, too. Cho’s report highlights the gaps in our coverage, saying “there is practically zero coverage of disability in The Rice Thresher.”

Improved disability support begins with increased visibility of disability, and we promise we’ll do our part.

GUEST OPINION

Keep the Sabbath Holy

Editor’s Note: This is a guest opinion that has been submitted by a member of the Rice community. The views expressed in this opinion are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the Thresher or its editorial board. All guest opinions are fact-checked to the best of our ability and edited for clarity and conciseness

by Thresher editors.

Rice students are no strangers to burnout. Optimism at the start of a semester turns into dread as the grind wears us down and we wonder how we will fit all our weekly commitments into a mere 168 hours.

I don’t claim to be any different; I’ve struggled against the cult of busyness my whole time at Rice, sometimes letting work fill my every waking moment while desperately trying to keep up with two STEM majors, two campus jobs and two extracurriculars. But during my sophomore year, I made the best decision of my college career, radically changing the way I approach my workload. I started following the Fourth Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

The Hebrew word “qadash,” which here is translated to “holy,” means “to be set apart or consecrated” — Christianity claims that God designed humans to set apart one day in seven for rest and worship. I decided to make my Sundays holy by doing no

schoolwork. Full stop. No exceptions for weeks with a ton of work. No exceptions for weeks where I procrastinated. No exceptions for COMP 310. Whatever happened during the week, my Sundays would be sacred.

Agnes Ho, the director of the Student Wellbeing Office, has previously reminded students that they “deserve to take a break.”

Students should take regular breaks from their work, but Sabbath rest is in a different category entirely. Making a day holy means setting it apart before scheduling anything else, therefore recognizing it as the most important part of your week.

When I started taking a Sabbath I thought I would struggle to get my work done with less time each week, but the much needed rest allows me to be more productive in the following week. I thought scheduling work with others would become difficult, but nobody has pushed back when I simply tell them that Sunday is not an option for me. Taking Sunday off, rather than making the rest of my week more stressful, made it less so. The day began to feel like something special, and I often find myself on Saturday thinking about “tomorrow” as Monday, with the day of rest completely set apart from my regular calendar.

I fear that too many Rice students are so stressed they don’t even think about taking

a break, even when it would let them come back to their work refreshed and more productive. My decision to start taking a Sabbath has given me time every week that is set aside to worship God, spend quality time with the people I care about and rest.

It is way too easy to get caught up in the endless stream of things that need doing during the semester and forget the importance of rest. For students who are overwhelmed by all the work they have to do, Sabbath rest can paradoxically be the exact thing that makes you more productive and able to complete the week’s work.

As a part of Rice’s Culture of Care, we should be encouraging those around us to schedule weekly time away from school so that we keep our priorities straight. Regardless of course load, jobs or extracurriculars, all of us could use a block of time that is set apart in which we can rest. So take time to schedule your rest before scheduling anything else. Pick a time during the week and remember to make it holy.

Sam Barton

JONES COLLEGE SENIOR

EDITORIAL STAFF * Indicates Editorial Board member Prayag Gordy* Editor-in-Chief Riya Misra* Editor-in-Chief Nayeli Shad* Managing Editor NEWS Brandon Chen* Editor Maria Morkas Asst. Editor Viola Hsia Asst. Editor Belinda Zhu Asst. Editor OPINION Sammy Baek* Editor FEATURES Sarah Knowlton* Editor Shruti Patankar Asst. Editor ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Hadley Medlock* Editor Juliana Lightsey Asst. Editor Arman Saxena Asst. Editor SPORTS Pavithr Goli* Editor Diego Palos Rodriguez Asst. Editor Andersen Pickard 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 Steven Burgess Asst. Video Editor Ayaan Riaz Web Editor DESIGN Alice Sun Art & Design Director Chloe Chan News Siddhi Narayan Opinion Jessica Xu Features Ivana Hsyung Arts & Entertainment Kirstie Qian Sports Lauren Yu Backpage 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 2024

CORRECTIONS In “Rice reintroduces diving team after more than 30 years,” the photograph of Rice President Reggie DesRoches, Athletic Director Tommy McClelland and the swim team was courtesy of Rice Athletics.

ricethresher.org

6 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

THE RICE THRESHER

Owls celebrate all kinds of love NOAH BERZ

THRESHER STAFF If you’re like me and get most of your valentines from your mom, then you know Valentine’s Day isn’t always about romance.

From anonymous singing-valentines to tacos to a match-making Crush Party, student organizations and clubs across campus are pulling out all the stops to put on a diverse array of Valentine’s Day celebrations.

According to Rice PRIDE co-president Cole Holladay, that’s why the organization started Pal-Grams, valentines for loved ones of any kind.

“There are a lot of people in the queer community that are either aromantic or asexual, and might not resonate with the idea of sending romantic messages to people,” Holladay, a Martel College junior, said. “We wanted to try to make it as inclusive as possible … Even if it’s a professor that they appreciate a lot and want to send a little message to, that’s what we do.”

Pamela Duarte, vice-presidenta of the Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice, said that she looks forward to sharing the Latine perspective on Valentine’s Day at Dia de Amor y Amistad, an event put on in collaboration between HACER and the Rice chapter of the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers.

“Dia de Amor y Amistad … is what they call Valentine’s Day in most Latin American countries,” Duarte, a Will Rice College junior, said. “We thought it would be really special to mention that it wasn’t just a day of love, but also a day of friendship.”

Duarte said that she and SHPE president Noe Martinez worked hard to plan an event that showcases the Latine celebration of love

and brings people closer together, complete with heart-shaped traditional treats, friendship bracelets and speed dating.

Sid Knits committee co-heads Anuska Santra and Evelyn Chiu said they hope to bring Sidizens closer together with Candy Grams, knitted hearts with short messages delivered to students’ mailboxes on the morning of Feb. 14. Last year Santra and Chiu knitted the Candy Grams themselves. The increase in orders this year requires all hands on deck.

“We’re taking on the help of a lot of different Sidizens and other people in the Sid Knits committee,” Santra, a Sid Richardson College junior, said. “This year it’s a much more collaborative thing, and it’s bringing the community together.”

Chiu said knitting, sending and receiving Candy Grams also makes for a good stress break.

“I think Sid Knits and other clubs like this that try to bring some small happy moments into students’ lives … [are] really valuable,” Chiu, a Sid Richardson junior, said. “When we actually interact with those people and see them smiling and having a good time, I think that’s really important.”

For graduate students like Graduate Student Association Wellbeing Director Thao Nguyen, finding community and spending time with friends is often more challenging than it was in their undergraduate years.

Nguyen said that she hopes the GSA’s Valentine’s Day card making event will bring graduate students together and give them a much-needed opportunity to relax and get creative.

“I think these events are important for grad students to have a space where we hang out because … people are busy,” Nguyen, a

Ph.D. candidate in applied physics, said. “A lot of people are a little bit older, too, so they have families and stuff, so even if you want to, it’s really hard to get together sometimes.”

Rice Program Council Socials Committee co-chair Christopher Rodriguez said he also hopes the RPC’s Crush Party will help bring together students who might not normally interact. Before Crush Party, attendees fill out a form and get ten possible matches, romantic and platonic, which they can get to know over heart shaped candies, making DIY tote bags and taking pictures together in a photo booth.

“It definitely helps people get out of their little [residential] college bubble,” Rodriguez, a Lovett College sophomore, said. “I feel like most people stay in their college and never really reach out, so this is one way people can be like, ‘Oh, that’s someone from a different college, wow!’”

Another way students can spread the love this Valentine’s Day is with a singing valentine. Each year, the Rice Philharmonics take song requests and send a quartet to deliver anonymous musical messages around campus. According to Phils soprano Karis Lai, they even bring their talents beyond the hedges. “[There] was actually a kid sending [a singing Valentine] to their parents,” Lai, a Wiess College sophomore, said, “so we called

AMY CAO / THRESHER the parents and sang for [them], which was cute.”

Lai said that she has seen a range of reactions from recipients in her experience performing singing valentines, but that she enjoys it every time.

“It’s funny to see the different peoples’ reactions,” Lai said. “Some people love it, and they are like ‘yes, sing to me!’ and some people turn so red because it’s at the servery, so they’re just trying to eat by themselves and then their friend sends us to find them.”

Regardless of how you choose to celebrate this year, Valentine’s Day gives everyone the opportunity to remind each other that they are loved, Holladay said.

“I think that Valentine’s Day is a really great time to just appreciate people, regardless of whether you might be attracted to them or interested in them romantically,” Holladay said. “In actuality, we can appreciate people whenever we want.”

‘Not too shabby’: Rice professors with high h-indices HOPE YANG

THRESHER STAFF From pioneering new technologies to designing crucial teamwork models, Rice faculty members have gained renown in their fields. Though it can be difficult to quantify a researcher’s impact on an area of study, Rice professors have some of the highest h-indices in the nation.

The h-index, or Hirsch index, named after its inventor Jorge E. Hirsch, attempts to measure the impact of a researcher’s work by taking into account both the amount of times their work is cited in other papers and the amount of papers they’ve published.

Ramamoorthy Ramesh, the executive vice

BRYAN MENDOZA / THRESHER

president of research, said that the h-index presents a way to calculate the influence of research — though it does have its shortcomings.

“Either very controversial papers or very important papers will get large numbers of citations,” Ramesh said. “The negative to [the h-index] is you could have published a garbage paper [and] still get a lot of citations, but for the wrong reason … but overall what you will find out is that if you’re really doing good work people will read it, [and] people will cite.”

The typical range of h-indices varies from field to field based on the number of researchers, which affects how often a paper may be cited. In engineering fields, a “good” score for full professors researching for ten or more years falls between 50 and 60. In fields such as social sciences and business, “good” h-indexes range from 45 to 55.

“You routinely see people in chemistry having h-indices of 150 or 200,” Ramesh said. “But in physics, if you have an h-index of even 50, it’s not too shabby. And if you’re going to social sciences and the humanities, the number of people involved [in research] is small.”

Pulickel Ajayan, a professor of engineering and chair of the department of materials science and nanoengineering, has the highest h-index at Rice with a score of 221 as of July 2023.

“I always wanted to be an academic even from my undergraduate days. You know, teach and research,” Ajayan said. “After my Ph.D. [I spent] quite a lot of time in Japan and Europe.

“In Japan, I was kind of lucky in the sense that I was at the right time in the right

place. The discovery of carbon nanotubes, which was the early nanotechnology excitement, happened while I was in that lab,” Ajayan continued. “That gave me even more interest and excitement to continue in nanomaterials and nanotechnology.”

Ajayan said that he was able to publish prolifically as a result of his wide range of research topics and his interest in problemsolving.

I think the scientific problems and the pursuit of those problems keep me engaged. In that sense, I think I could go on forever Pulickel Ajayan MATERIALS SCIENCE AND NANOENGINEERING CHAIR

“I think the scientific problems and the pursuit of those problems keep me engaged.

In that sense, I think I could go on forever,” Ajayan said.

Uptal Dholakia, a professor of marketing at the Jones Graduate School of Business with an h-index of 56, said that he stays engaged by working on multiple topics.

“I believe in doing a lot of different things together, so I can jump from one thing to another and come back and so on … so I don’t get fixated on just one thing. That helps to avoid burnout for me,” Dholakia said.

Unlike Ajayan, Dholakia said he hadn’t originally intended to become an academic, having worked various marketing jobs before getting his Ph.D.

“I’m the first person in my family to have a Ph.D. or even to go to college,” Dholakia said. “The thing about academia … is that you can study new challenges and problems … and have autonomy, which is not to be found in companies. [That’s] what kept me in academia all these years.”

Eduardo Salas, an organizational psychology professor with an h-index of 185, started his career designing team training systems for the U.S. Navy in Orlando, Fla., after which he began publishing his findings about team effectiveness.

“I never thought I would be an academic,” Salas said. “I have this interest in having an impact in people’s lives. It was not a big plan. It was, ‘Let’s collect data as robust as possible, and get insights from that data about how we improve performance.’”

Salas, who received the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology last August, said that helping others by doing field work motivated him in his research.

“In order to help these people, you have to understand their context … [and] embed yourself in it somewhat,” Salas said. “The interesting thing is that when you go and see how these people perform and what they do, you can say, I can help you, I can do something.”

K.C. Nicolaou, a professor of chemistry who has an h-index of 157, said that his primary focus throughout his career was on teaching and his research.

Nicolaou discovered a love for the subject with the encouragement of his teacher when attending high school in Cyprus.

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

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 • 7

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V-Day dates: studying, snacking, shopping AMELIA DAVIS

THRESHER STAFF

Whether your Screw date has miraculously lasted into the second semester or you have a self-sourced partner to keep your spirits up during the stress of midterms, you may be prepared to scroll through innumerable Yelp reviews to ferret out the perfect Valentine’s Day date spot.

Have no fear — whether your dream date is classy, casual or just plain crazy, options abound from Rice Village to Montrose and everywhere in between.

Sweet Paris Whether you share a sweet tooth with your partner or raise your eyebrows at their sugar intake, Sweet Paris is a walkable spot to enjoy something sugary or savory. With a cute, Instagrammable storefront and casual service, the price for a crepe ranges from $11 to $13.

Bluestone Lane You and your brunch-loving partner in crime may be thrilled to hear that a conveniently close restaurant serves brunch all day long. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a dinner out if you’re attracted to “Australian-inspired” flavor, eggs and a great ambiance to enjoy a conversational outing.

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academic success and their romantic prospects, a low-key study date may be in order. Grab a cup of coffee and a snack and settle down for a few hours, whether you actually lock in for a long session of midterm studying or end up staring into each other’s eyes.

Barcelona To the lucky (and of-age) lovebirds with money to spend or an anniversary to celebrate, Barcelona Wine Bar is an upscale site for romance. Whether your true love is your date or charcuterie and “girl-dinner” tapas, this will be a more than worthwhile date night. Additionally, if you really want to make an evening out of it, Barcelona is located only a few blocks from the Menil Collection. A museum date plus a nice night out would definitely be one for the books.

Roma For a more classy traditional dinner, nothing could be more convenient than Roma for all your pasta-loving date night needs. The small interior is intimate and the outdoor seating is also ideal for a warm Houston evening. Plus, it’s a 15-minute walk from campus, and offers high-quality entrees under $30 with the option of pasta half plates for $14.

Thrifting Those who enjoy hands-on activities and wardrobe curation may be more attracted to a shopping date. This more casual option doesn’t preclude having a nice dinner — there are thrift stores in Rice Village within a block of the list-toppers of all Rice students: Torchy’s, Dave’s Hot Chicken and the datenight regular Prego, not to mention other stores if you desire a window-shopping stroll. Fallen Angel on Rice Boulevard is a close-by gem, but there are plenty of stores in Montrose for those eager to get further off campus, such as Pavement, Buffalo Exchange, Leopard Lounge and Thrifted Threads.

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

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1 Code for Nashville International Airport 4 “Oh ___!”

7 A disaster to the stock market 9 Canon competitor 11 ___ Security, Rice’s favorite authentication app 12 Formula One driver Charles 16 Public university in the U.S’ 3rd largest city 18 Peeves 20 _____ York, to some NYC residents 21 ____ mi (Vietnamese sandwich) 22 “___ __ there yet?”

24 “Mamma ___!”

25 Magna _____ 26 Start of the workday 28 Whale food-filtering system 29 Some people enjoy this part before the relationship 30 Giving a helping hand 31 Luck or fortune, in Spain 32 Daily routines 33 Neighbor of Thailand and Cambodia 34 ___ the season!

37 Capital city of Norway 38 Holder of ashes 39 Foolish ones hoping for a crumb of attention 41 Big pig 42 __ Fuji 45 American lingerie company, abbr.

46 The Feb. holiday of love is dedicated to him 49 Body of water separating Greece and Turkey 50 2015 Pixar film exploring feelings with an upcoming sequel 51 Alternative name for Jacobs syndrome

DOWN 1 Products of breakups or a team losing the championship game 2 Sodium symbol 3 Comm. system for the deaf 4 Pen brand 5 Just fine 6 Taylor Swift’s “1989” song celebrating newfound romance 7 A course syllabus describes this 8 Farm mother 9 Pro-gun org.

10 Virtual canine companions of the Nintendo DS 11 Ross and Nyad 13 ___ laude 14 Hawaiian garland 15 NASA spacewalk 17 P.F. ______ 19 One might do this on a relative’s life to make a point 21 When it’s somewhat spotty on the top of a head 23 Some bridge positions 25 Egypt’s capital 27 ___ krob (Thai noodle dish) 28 “Paper or plastic?” item 34 Gender equality law prominent in university conversations 35 Spongebob’s catchphrase 36 Longtime player of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, or a small clump of trees in Britain 39 Grabs 40 “He ___ __ elegantly,” one might say as a compliment of a person’s posture 43 Pizzeria necessity 44 In ____ of 47 ___ chi (martial art) 48 Cole or Turner

8 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

SA ELECTION 2024

Kim, Brown College president, runs for SA president on platform of advocacy and internal reform

FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER

MARIA MORKAS

ASST. NEWS EDITOR Finishing his term as Brown College president, Jae Kim is running for Student Association president. He has previously served Brown as a senator and new student representative.

Kim said he has worked on diversity, equity and inclusion, student wellbeing initiatives and sustainability projects throughout his term as a college president.

By running for SA president, he hopes to continue to pursue these projects and further advocate for student needs.

Previously, Kim has worked with other college presidents to allocate SA funding to the Student Success Initiatives pantry, fix volleyball courts and install floodlights at the North colleges.

According to his campaign website, ensuring accommodations for transgender and gender nonconforming students at each residential college is a priority; hence, Kim is working with Housing and Dining

to create an all-gender bathroom at the resolution is only seen as a statement of support rather than the SA actually Brown College.

“Using that insight, I gave enacting that change.”

As a diversity facilitator responsible for the DEI commission a lot of useful feedback, and they “promoting campus unity and respect for presented a resolution diversity,” Kim said he wants to continue [about housing working on DEI initiatives within the SA and bathroom as president. He mentioned that he wants accommodations],” to strongly support the recommendations made by the task force for slavery, Kim said.

Kim said he segregation and racial injustice, as well.

Kim has also worked with other college hopes to increase student engagement presidents to provide $2,000 worth of within the SA. He funding to the Student Success Initiatives wants to show people pantry, according to his campaign website.

“I want to do a lot of food insecurity what projects the SA is working on and and dining changes,” Kim said. “I want what their priorities are. increased and sustained funding for the SSI He plans on doing this pantry, not from the Student Association, through project-specific but from administration. I think that SSI town halls and Senate fact is one of the most strained offices in the sheets for students who want to university, but they do important work.”

Kim said he wants to continue expanding attend SA for the first time.

He also said that he feels the need to late-night food options on campus. He also mentioned refine the way SA that he thinks it’s advocacy works. unreasonable for NSRs and senators every on-campus to are new and purchase a full meal enthusiastic, he A more effective advocacy plan, and students said, but they may system, a more efficient should have see a resolution as a way to allocate SA more flexibility in final solution to an funding, more robust choosing their meal issue. plan. “ T h e y communication between “The fresh food oftentimes see a us, the student body and vending machines resolution as an end the residential colleges installed at Duncan all, be all, like, ‘If I and McMurtry came write a resolution, … are prerequisites to be from conversations no matter how able to pursue these kinds I’ve had with big the scope, this of projects that benefit [Housing and will enact change students.

Dining Director on campus,’” Kim David McDonald]. I said. “[I want to] Jae Kim think that’s a good redefine that a SA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE start,” Kim said. little bit and make sure that every piece of advocacy the SA “But I think we should have late-night food works on goes through thorough research options, because not everyone might enjoy and stakeholder conversations, and that vending machines.”

Kim said he wants to improve the residential college system to make it easier for minority students to find a community within them. He also wants to create a more streamlined and sustained funding process for cultural clubs.

“I also want to get a Blanket Tax status for Rice PRIDE,” Kim added. “I think it is an organization that has such a huge reach and serves such a huge population of the Rice University student body, so I think a small amount of Blanket Tax funding would be beneficial for them.”

Kim said that the internal components he wants to change within the SA are all connected to these initiatives.

“A more effective advocacy system, a more efficient way to allocate SA funding, more robust communication between us and the student body between us and the residential colleges … are prerequisites to be able to pursue these kinds of projects that benefit students,” Kim said.

CONTE

8 CAND RUN FO POSIT

Fresh off term as EVP, Unegbu is sole candidate for IVP BELINDA ZHU

ASST. NEWS EDITOR Crystal Unegbu, a junior from Hanszen College, is running uncontested for the Student Association internal vice president position. Unegbu is currently the SA’s external vice president, and previously served as one of Hanszen’s new student representatives.

After serving as EVP, Unegbu said she hopes for more of an internal role working with commissions and new student representatives while also engaging students.

“I would really like a role [such as IVP] that gives me the chance to engage more with the student body,” Unegbu said. “I plan to organize events that encourage

students to seek involvement within the SA, and host town halls to stay informed about concerns within prevalent student groups.”

Unegbu said she feels that NSRs aren’t being relied upon as much as they could and hopes to give them a better experience.

“I want to influence these future leaders,” Unegbu said. “In the past, their jobs felt more like a shadowing role. I know a lot of NSRs constantly express a feeling of not doing much and sometimes they don’t understand the SA yet. It sucks when they are coming to these weekly meetings and they still don’t have a good grasp of the SA.” Unegbu also hopes to increase efficiency in SA commissions.

“To promote efficiency in the SA commissions, I suggest a structure that prioritizes interactive fieldwork to invite more diverse perspectives, cohesion between commission heads through collaboration and implementing accountability measures for timely project progressions,” Unegbu said.

Unegbu said she looks forward to building bridges between the SA and student body, increasing commissions’ productivity and shaping future leaders within the campus community.

FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 • 9

THE RICE THRESHER

Tobey, Hanszen College senator, cites budget and efficiency as mission for SA presidency MARIA MORKAS

ASST. NEWS EDITOR Trevor Tobey, wrapping up his term as Hanszen College senator, is running for Student Association president. Studying economics and sports management, Tobey, a sophomore, has previously served as a Hanszen new student representative.

With a $400,000 budget and leverage with administration, Tobey said that SA leaders have the capacity to make a difference in the lives of students — something they’re not currently doing, Tobey said.

“I want to see the Student Association be an effective organization that’s legitimate on campus, that connects with students and works for them,” Tobey said. “I think that we’re not an efficient organization; we just create a bunch of committees, [and] we pass useless

ESTED

DIDATES OR SA TIONS

resolutions and statements that have no them,” Tobey said.

Tobey said that the SA material impact on students.”

“If we have that robust dialogue, passes many resolutions statements that if we have that fair budget and then and if we have an organization that has a “aren’t actually helping leader who’s willing to just go get things students.” Instead, he done, to streamline processes and have said the SA would persistence when negotiating with benefit from a leader administration, I think we can do a lot of who just gets it done. good for students,” Tobey continued.

“I think we use Tobey said he would like to implement and an opt-in process to order copies of the [resolutions way Campanile, the university yearbook, statements] and have it delivered at graduation for too much to virtue those who ordered one. According to signal, and to tell his campaign website, the SA allocates students that we’re nearly $100,000 of Blanket Tax funding doing things, when to yearbooks, which are “consistently we’re really not even unused by students” and consequently making an impact in “rob initiatives such as cultural events their lives,” Tobey said. “If and service opportunities of the you ask the average student, I think they would have a hard necessary funding.”

Furthermore, he said he wanted to time answering ‘What has the see the administration use its conference Student Association done to make your time on campus budget to fund better?’ I think Blanket Tax that’s problematic.

Organizations’ To address that, travel-related The Student Association that starts with costs. Tobey said working with that Blanket Tax [is] obviously broken. We money should be have the opportunity to fix clubs and other organizations … reinvested into it right now. That’s going because they have student projects. mission focus Tobey also to start with someone bold said that he’d enough to actually address goals and projects that they’re like to reform the the organization and its working on.”

Initiative Fund, a failures.

For the past fund allocated to year, Tobey has provide for “new Trevor Tobey been working on and innovative SA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE the internal and projects” that are relevant to the community, to help fund governance affairs committee, which has inspired his priorities. As president, he affinity and cultural group initiatives.

“Right now [with] the Initiative said he wants to improve the budget, run Fund, you can only [host] first-time a more efficient organization, cut and events, which I think is very limiting for restructure committees, have inclusive organizations who are doing great things engagement and add a public comment for our campus, but we’re not funding section.

FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER

According to his campaign website, Tobey wants to help students affordably explore Houston by expanding student discounts across the city. Furthermore, he wants to institute $10 printing credits to allow students to print free of charge on-campus, without a tuition increase. “[In terms of external projects], I think [mental health] is a number one priority,” Tobey said. “The second thing is expanding late-night food options; I’d like to see the serveries open later and have some kind of healthy options late at night.”

Tobey said his message to students is that they don’t have to continue down the same path as always.

“The Student Association [is] obviously broken,” Tobey said. “We have the opportunity to fix it right now. That’s going to start with someone bold enough to actually address the organization and its failures, instead of focusing on the external projects alone.”

Junge runs unopposed for EVP, aims to bridge gap between SA and student body IVANA HSYUNG

THRESHER STAFF

Baker College freshman Asianna Junge is running unopposed for the position of the Student Association external vice president. She is currently serving as one of Baker’s new student representatives.

Junge is campaigning on transparency, accountability and accessibility. Junge recounted her own confusion as a new student

FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER

representative sitting through the SA’s through and read every single thing that weekly meetings, which are open to the everyone says [in the Senate minutes],” general student body. This motivates Junge said. She hopes that a summarized her to push for more comprehensible form of Senate minutes might help communication of the SA’s conversations everyone be on the same page.

Junge became and initiatives, she interested in explained. running for EVP “What are we after shadowing aiming to do with What are we aiming to do Crystal Unegbu, resolutions? What with resolutions? What is the current EVP is the end goal? who is running What were the the end goal? unopposed for steps that we took Asianna Junge internal vice to get there?

SA EVP CANDIDATE president, and I want to find a way to bridge [the gap having the opportunity to participate in between the student body and their weekly meetings. Junge lists Senator the SA] and make it easier dinners, which the EVP coordinates, to understand and be held as an example of an important time of communication and connection. accountable,” Junge said.

According to Junge, the main role of the Junge said she aims to promote transparency in EVP is to communicate with and facilitate the SA, from money and conversations between senators, the time delegation to decision undergraduate student body and faculty. making and processes. She Junge also acknowledges that EVPs have plans to work with the SA to the opportunity to contribute a lot to the condense the Senate minutes executive committee.

“I anticipate in those meetings, I’d into a digestible list and to use social media platforms to spread be able to share more of my perspective awareness about weekly discussion as a first-generation and an out-of-state student,” Junge said. topics.

Junge specifically hopes to hold more “Not a lot of people are going to sit

open town halls for students to voice their opinions, especially after resolutions are passed.

“It’s a way to voice opinions and hear more from the student body,” Junge said.

“Getting to hear more perspectives on a regular basis will improve the SA over time.”

In order to promote attendance to student body gatherings such as town halls, Junge emphasizes the importance of showcasing the impact of student-led committees and resolutions.

“We need to show [the student body] what has been changed, what these [committees and resolutions] have done, and how they can contribute to that,” Junge said. “People don’t want to go to something that they think is going to do nothing, or is redundant. I think it really has to start with us showing that by attending, you can make a difference.”

see more candidates on page 10

10 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

SA ELECTIONS 2024

Deputy treasurer Stallings and NSR Ngo compete for SA treasurer Josh Stallings, currently the Student realized that I wanted to do that again, and …

Association deputy treasurer, and Thomas the treasurer is more active [than the deputy Ngo, currently a new student representative treasurer] in the Student Association.”

Ngo, a freshman, said his coursework in from McMurtry College, are the two finance, experience as an NSR and training candidates vying for SA treasurer.

Stallings, a Duncan College sophomore, as a member of the Blanket Tax Committee are why he’s qualified for the role. He said he’s running for the position also said he views the position as because of his experience as a platform to improve student deputy treasurer, where experiences and make he assists the current positive changes. treasurer and “I see it as the helps manage perfect position where the Blanket Tax I can use my strengths Committee. to create a positive, The Blanket tangible impact,” Tax Committee Ngo said. is a group Ngo added of student that his position as representatives both an NSR and an who supervise international and allocate the student from Blanket Tax, a fund COURTESY ZACH WOODLEY Vietnam has that financially supports given him the student activities. The opportunity Blanket Tax is an $85 to engage with fee that every student individuals pays with their tuition What gives me the edge of a variety to support certain is [a] better overall of different organizations as understanding of the backgrounds, determined by the SA. including As a member of student body, especially international the BTC, Stallings said those [who] can be and new he helped allocate underrepresented. students alike. money to clubs with the “ W h a t Initiative Fund, a pool Thomas Ngo gives me the of money for student SA TREASURER CANDIDATE edge is [a] organizations to hold “new and innovative projects that serve the better overall understanding of the student body, especially those [who] interests of the Rice community.”

“I’ve really enjoyed making decisions can be underrepresented,” Ngo said. and helping communicate my opinion on “[International students] do have different the Blanket Tax Committee, especially as perspectives and see many things, including it relates to the Initiative Fund,” Stallings finance, differently.”

As treasurer, Stallings said he would said. “When election time came around, I

VIOLA HSIA

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

PRASI DESAI

SENIOR WRITER

would like to explore the idea of adding more Blanket Tax Organizations, including groups like Rice PRIDE. Ngo intends to increase financial transparency, saying he wants to “break work on expanding funding methods down that puzzle” of fund availability and for student organizations, including the allocation. As treasurer, he said he would increase collaboration between the Student Initiative Fund and Blanket Tax. Ngo, on the other hand, said he would Association and student clubs.

“I want the [BTC] to collaborate more focus on restructuring and organizing the Blanket Tax Committee, with each with clubs to cut unnecessary costs and negotiate better deals with outside committee member focusing on a certain vendors,” Ngo said. expense type.

Aside from the “That way we have a whole treasurer’s immediate team full of experts who have duties, Stallings better insights and can said he’s make better judgments,” passionate Ngo said. a b o u t According to supporting Stallings, the Blanket environmental Tax hasn’t been sustainability, raised in nearly 10 which he does years, since its value in his free time was set at $85 in 2015, working at the resulting in a $100,000 Betty and Jacob deficit in funds due to Friedman Holistic inflation that could’ve been Garden. He also said allocated to clubs. Raising FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER he would support the current the expansion Blanket Tax to of mental health accommodate resources on campus. for inflation has I’ve really enjoyed making “I think that would been the subject decisions and helping be an interesting of student project to look at opinion, and communicate my opinion and see how other even part on the Blanket Tax students feel about the of other SA Committee, especially as resources available to candidates’ it relates to the Initiative them,” Stallings said. platforms.

Ngo said he hopes Stallings said he Fund. to use his position would consider Josh Stallings to increase the calling to reSA TREASURER CANDIDATE Student Association’s raise the Blanket Tax — which would require an amendment engagement with the larger Rice community.

“People tend to not care a lot about to the SA constitution — as treasurer, but would seek student opinion about their the SA,” Ngo said. “But … the Student tuition dollars as a deciding factor in the Association has great people, great resources and a burning desire to help Rice process.

With more funds, Stallings said he students.”

Asibbey and Doh run against each other for SA secretary

Chelsea Asibbey, a freshman from Baker College, and Calla Doh, a freshman and new student representative from Hanszen College, are running in this year’s race for Student Association promote student causes across campus by for self expression and to have a student campus.” secretary.

Asibbey said that she would want this administration that supports them.”

Asibbey said that she is running with engaging with a student body.”

Asibbey said that one of her big maximized budget not just to support Doh said that other causes the hopes of expanding the SA’s presence among the student body and increasing she’s passionate about are campus priorities if elected secretary would be more student organizations, but to sustainability, citing how she recently maximizing the SA budget to support increase their voices and presence on student participation in SA meetings. c o - f o u n d e d more student initiatives. She specifically campus as well.

“There’s a “I chose [Rice] because I came here Rice’s first Food mentioned increasing the support given big disconnect Recovery Chapter to cultural clubs on campus, where she and I felt like home. I felt like I could with the rest find people that in December, and said she’s noticed of the student There’s a big disconnect related to me, body of what with the rest of the student increasing support the most dire need like the African for LGBTQ+ for funding.

[SA] actually body of what [SA] actually community is so “I’m sure there’s I hope to increase SA’s does,” Asibbey strong here. Even other places that are said. “How does does outreach and connection the Questbridge begging the Student Chelsea Asibbey with the student body. community is Association SA SECRETARY CANDIDATE so strong here. translate to Calla Doh the student body? How are [students] SA SECRETARY CANDIDATE I know these people and I want receiving the information that we’re to make sure that doing? As secretary, I feel like it’s kind of for other people get to know these people,” a middleman position.”

Asibbey said. “With events like [African Should she win the secretary race, Student Association] weekend where Asibbey also said she’d expand the SA’s we’re competing, I want those things to social media use. stay. I don’t want them to go because we Doh expressed a similar sentiment, didn’t have enough funding to maintain saying she wants to focus on making the them.”

SA more accessible and well-known to the Doh also said as secretary she would student body. continue to find ways to include the voices “I have gotten a glimpse into how FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER of all different communities at Rice. the SA functions but outside of that, I’ve students.

“Rice is such a diverse place,” Doh said. funding “I’ve realized talked to so many people who don’t even [as well],” “I think that there’s still a lot to be done in know what the SA is,” Doh said. “I hope that everyone’s Rice experiences are so Asibbey said. including the voices of every student on to increase SA’s outreach and connection different and [they’re] shaped by where with the student body … Whether that’s we come from, our experiences and our “I’m not throwing [money] up in the air, campus and making sure that students through increased events or changing up identity,” Doh said. “I want to make but making sure that we can spot the feel safe here … I want to make sure that, the way that we interact with the student sure that everyone is able to have as inefficiencies in our budget and where at the core of everyone’s Rice experience, body, I’m definitely excited to not only meaningful an experience here, is able that’s not being allocated, and return it they feel welcome and they feel safe here interact with more students but help to call this place a home, a safe space back to groups that directly affect us on and they feel like they belong.”

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 • 11

THE RICE THRESHER

Impress your first date with these Valentine’s Day flicks For hopeless romantics “The Apartment” (1960) THE classic rom-com, Billy Wilder’s “The Apartment” still is as touching as ever over 60 years later. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine’s endearing chemistry helps bring Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond’s Oscar-winning words to life. Two of the greatest screenwriters of the Hollywood golden age, Wilder and Diamond’s banter remains hilarious, poignant and heated — everything one would want in a date comedy. — Arman Saxena

JACLYNN SCHWANDER / THRESHER It’s Valentine’s Day, and whether you’re pulling your hair out trying to choose the perfect movie for a date night or wondering how you want to spend your single night in, we got you. From romantic to hilarious to just plain strange, the Thresher’s A&E staff have the perfect film picks for your Valentine’s Day. Cute and heartwarming “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004) Anime legend Hayao Miyazaki’s most romantic film, “Howl’s Moving Castle,” has everything one could want in a date movie: a couple you can root for, cute animated sidekicks, a lovely, luxurious score and an awe-inspiring fantasy world full of adventure. If that ending shot doesn’t make you swoon, nothing will. — Arman Saxena “Paddington” (2014) or “Paddington 2” (2017) “Paddington” is, simply put, one of the most breathtaking films we have ever had the privilege of experiencing. It tells the

hilariously fun and emotional story of a young Peruvian bear, Paddington, as he learns to navigate London, lunchtime and love. Although some may claim that it is geared for children, we would vehemently disagree; the quick wit, engaging dialogue and spectacular visuals appeals to moviegoers of all ages. Be prepared to laugh, sit on the edge of your seat and maybe even shed a tear or two as you join Paddington and the Brown family on their wild adventure. — Hamza Saeed “WALL-E” (2008) It’s hard to find a quality that “WALL-E” is lacking in. The animation is breathtaking and state of the art. The characters are meticulously designed, with vivid life and whimsy even in the most robotic places.

The story is timeless and wholesome, as these robots traverse the solar system in an attempt to restore hope and humanity in the face of apocalypse. This movie makes the ultimate Valentine’s gift, even if a simple plant in a boot would suffice. — Thomas Pickell

“But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999) A ’90s cult classic, “But I’m a Cheerleader” is a satirical romantic comedy that follows Megan (Natasha Lyonne), a high school cheerleader with a footballplaying boyfriend that gets sent to gay conversion bootcamp after her parents become suspicious of her sexuality. At camp, Megan meets Graham (Clea DuVall) and slowly starts to fall for her, coming to terms with her sexuality. It’s funny, it’s camp, it’s heartwarming and even includes RuPaul. Try to name a better V-Day watch.

— Hadley Medlock “Chungking Express” (1994) For the (self-proclaimed) “indie” and “artsy” types, “Chungking Express” is the perfect stylized twist on the rom-com genre for your date night. The film’s narrative is split in two, both dealing with chance encounters and lovesick individuals against the backdrop of mid-’90s Hong Kong. Come for the ethereal, late-night-neon aesthetic and stay for the gorgeous story about finding “the one” in an overwhelming city.

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

Let your feelings blossom with DIY bouquets SARAH MOTTELER

FOR THE THRESHER

Valentine’s Day is today, and if you have a special someone in your life, the holiday can’t be complete without a bouquet. If you’re like any Rice student, though, then there’s a good chance that you procrastinated this essential task until the morning of. If this sounds like you, the Thresher has you covered with the basics of flower arrangement.

There are florists in Rice Village that can provide bouquets within walking distance, but they are cost-prohibitive to many students: Village Greenery and Flowers starts at $95 a bouquet, Isidora at $75 and River Oaks Plant House at $115.

The best option for flowers within a student budget is the grocery store: Most have some sort of floral section offering bouquets at a fraction of the cost, including Trader Joe’s, Central Market and HEB. Unfortunately, grocery bouquets can lack a certain visual appeal, with fewer flower varieties per bouquet and less interesting arrangements. However, by combining a few different sets of flowers, you can create your own custom arrangement that optimizes both price and pizzazz for a oneof-a-kind bouquet.

Bouquets are made up of four categories of plants. Focal flowers are large, showy flowers that draw the eye first. Secondary flowers are smaller but still impressive flowers that add more variety for larger arrangements. Filler flowers are small flowers that fill in space

within the arrangement. Lastly, greenery is foliage that adds contrast and new textures within the arrangement. You’ll want a variety of flowers from each of these categories within your bouquet, and it will help with arrangement later.

After picking the flowers in your bouquet, next choose how to arrange them. Flower arrangements can either be placed in vases or be tied into bouquets.

Making your arrangement in a vase offers more structure for first-time bouquet constructors, especially if you add a grid of tape on the opening of your vase to keep your stems in place. However, this does require you to have a suitable vessel on hand. Bouquets are more portable, but it can be difficult to get the flowers to stay in place perfectly.

Next, make sure to trim your flowers before arranging. Remove lower or damaged leaves and buds. Cut your stems on a 45-degree angle so that they will last longer, but make sure not to cut too much off until you’re confident on how tall you want your stems to be.

After this, you can arrange your blooms. Start with your focal flowers, choosing just a few of the larger blooms, preferably an odd number for maximum visual appeal.

Fill in with your secondary flowers, if you have any, then add your greenery and fill the remaining

space with your filler flowers.

Lastly, don’t forget to tie off your bouquet. Firmly secure the stems in place with either a rubber band or a firmlytied twine knot, then cover with a more aesthetically-pleasing ribbon or other wrapping. For vases, many plainer vessels will benefit from a ribbon and bow.

If you’d like to add an extra symbolic layer to your arrangement, choose focal or secondary flowers with specific meanings.

However, be sure to avoid flowers with negative connotations, unless you’re building a passive-aggressive bouquet for a truant project member or roommate who’s on your last nerve.

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

Fall in love with literature this February HADLEY MEDLOCK

A&E EDITOR

While Valentine’s Day may be nearly over, it doesn’t mean the season of love, or reading about love, has to be. If you’re feeling literary this February, the Thresher has rounded up a list of must-reads for every hopeless romantic, relationship cynic and everyone in between.

“Everything I Know About Love” By: Dolly Alderton

If you’ve had countless friends tell you to read Dolly Alderton’s memoir on love, it’s probably because you should. Coming to the conclusion that love doesn’t always have to be romantic to be important, “Everything I Know About Love” is a great read if you’re feeling sentimental about your besties this Valentine’s Day.

“If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho”

Translated by: Anne Carson When someone’s work is so good that their words are renowned even though fragments, it may be worth reading. Easily one of the most famous lyric poets to have existed, Sappho’s work finds its heart in musings on love and desire. With a voice that somehow transcends time, Sappho is essential reading in love poetry and love literature as a whole.

“Payback’s a Witch”

By: Lana Harper If you’re looking for an easy read and are a lover of all things witchy, this rom-com by Lana Harper should be your next February read. Even though this is easily the most un-literary book on this list, and possibly a bit cheesy, it’s at least cute and rather mind-numbing.

“Felicity” By: Mary Oliver

If you’re looking for a short, thought-provoking read, check out this collection of poetry by Mary Oliver. Oliver’s poems find their beauty in simplicity, and this is a great collection for those just getting into poetry or people in love.

“A Certain Hunger” By: Chelsea G. Summers

CATHERINE ZHOU / THRESHER

If you’re not necessarily looking for a feel-good novel on love, Editor-in-Chief Riya has your back with this recommendation.

This novel follows Dorothy Daniels, a food critic who loves food and sex, unable to find a long-term partner she feels can keep up with her. Oh, and she soon discovers she likes to cannibalize men as well. Happy Valentine’s Day, I guess.

Read more online at ricethresher.org.

12 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Wild Grain returns after an extended hiatus

AMELIA DAVIS / THRESHER Basma Bedawi (left) and Essence Ratliff (right), the new editors-in-chief of The Wild Grain, hopes to reignite the publication.

ASHLEY WANG

FOR THE THRESHER Prior to this semester, if you asked anyone on campus, English major or not, if they had ever heard of The Wild Grain, you’d probably be met with a puzzled look. Co-editors-inchief Essence Ratliff and Basma Bedawi are here to change that.

The Wild Grain, originally established in 2021 by Assistant Professor of English Alden Sajor Marte-Wood, is an online publication highlighting Rice’s English department, as well as the many creations and achievements of Rice’s English majors.

The Wild Grain’s website currently features a wide range of content, including recaps of English department events, alumni interviews, student-written poetry and the recurring series called “A Day in the Life of an English Major.”

Once The Wild Grain’s original editors graduated, the publication was put on hold for several years. In her sophomore year, Ratliff was introduced to The Wild Grain through a class with Sarah Ellenzweig, an associate professor of English. Ratliff said she was eager to revamp what she saw as a valuable resource for prospective and current English majors.

“We all were on the website together and we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cool. Why is no one posting on this anymore?’” Ratliff said. “I think after COVID and everything,

it kind of died down and creatives to publish their work. According to no one really came and Bedawi, however, The Wild Grain aims to be less selective than R2. In addition, The Wild picked it back up.”

When Bedawi Grain will provide students a different, and came across The hopefully more accessible, submission cycle Wild Grain, she structure.

“Every month, we’re doing a cycle of was excited at the opportunity to submissions where it will be open for about bring attention a week,” Bedawi said. “It gives people a to Rice’s oft- continuous place to submit their work. o v e r l o o k e d As they’re writing things for their classes, E n g l i s h they’re coming up with new things they can d e p a r t m e n t submit and then hopefully get it published.”

Bedawi noted that while English majors and to engage in editorial work, are frequently encouraged to submit their especially as an work to magazines and get their pieces published, there is often a high barrier to aspiring journalist.

“I just love publication. The Wild Grain’s goal is to create presenting information more opportunities for students to showcase in a way that people not their work, as well as more opportunities to only are able to digest, but refine their craft. The editors-in-chief plan to want to digest. [To] create a space provide feedback to as many submissions as for people just to learn about different possible, and even pieces that are initially things, in a way that’s enjoyable for them, I rejected have a chance to be featured the following month after revision. love that,” Bedawi said.

“A lot of English majors are told, when Ratliff and Bedawi both joined The Wild Grain in the fall of 2023, after the English you’re [in] undergrad, if you want to do any Undergraduate Association sent out creative writing in the future, you need to applications for the magazine’s editorial get your work published,” Bedawi said. “But board. Both editors-in-chief have found then there’s so few places to get your work published. And the the experience of places where you working for The Wild are able to submit, Grain continuously it’s so difficult rewarding — whether to get your work they’re attending The goal with every year published.”

English department that passes is to make it Moving forward, course previews, better. Make it better than Ratliff and Bedawi posting book the last, make it more said they have recommendations, many plans for advertising the creative than the last.

The Wild Grain, magazine to their Essence Ratliff including opening peers or combing THE WILD GRAIN CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF up applications through submissions.

“The more I do it, the more passionate for editorial team positions and starting a about editing I find myself … I don’t even campus-wide book club.

In terms of expanding The Wild Grain’s think of it as a job. I think it’s fun,” Ratliff content, they are excited to continue the “A said.

The Wild Grain accepts a variety of Day in the Life of an English Major” series submissions from Rice undergraduates, in a more dynamic, vlog-style format. They see The Wild Grain as an important online spanning many genres.

“We’re just looking for creative talent,” resource for English majors and curious nonRatliff said. “We’re taking poetry, creative majors alike, as well as a constantly evolving nonfiction, fiction. Even if you want to do literary platform.

“The goal with every year that passes is to a book review, personal essays — think of make it better,” Ratliff said. “Make it better [things] of that nature.”

R2: The Rice Review may come to mind as than the last, make it more creative than the an already existing campus publication for last.”

Review: ‘Argylle’ feels absolutely soulless JAY COLLURA

FILM COLUMNIST What I am about to tell you may compromise my credibility as a film critic: Despite the fact that I saw the trailer over a dozen times, and that the film was relentlessly made fun of online prior to release, I was actually looking forward to “Argylle.”

On paper, the film sounded like something I would really enjoy. “Argylle” follows a popular writer, Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), who is whisked away from her comfortable life after her latest thriller novel seemingly predicts real-life events in the world of espionage. By focusing on a writer, the film introduces a meta element that many action-comedies lack, creating an opportunity to imbue the saturated genre with self-awareness and visual flair.

It is a shame, however, that this film fails to even provide the audience with anything, let alone something remotely subversive or intriguing.

The first and most immediate failing in “Argylle” is the lack of any ingenuity in terms of the premise. Outside of the logline, the film really does nothing to imbue its world with creativity. Spy movies are defined by fancy gadgets, exotic locations and intense interactions between sharp personalities, yet the film forgot to bring anything to the table. What the audience is left with is a very standard action story with predictable settings and horribly CGI-ed locations that

make everything feel flat.

Director Matthew Vaughn has demonstrated in the past that he has an understanding of the espionage-thriller, but that feels completely lost here. While I am not the biggest fan of “Kingsman,” it is undeniable that Vaughn’s franchise is steeped in a reverence for James Bond and other spy literature. This respect for the genre is thrown out the window, though, and replaced by the most straightforward, AI-generated action plot possible.

My disappointment in Vaughn extends to

Director: Matthew Vaughn

the action sequences throughout the film. It is acceptable to put the counterintelligence into the back seat if it is replaced with spectacle, but Vaughn forgot to apply his sleek, kinetic style to most of the action.

Each confrontation boils down to people punching each other in locations that were only reminiscent of better action movies.

The lack of an R-rating and any competent sound design makes everything feel very inconsequential, as if people are pointed at and then just fall over. After “John Wick: Chapter 4” and “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning” were released last year, it is becoming really easy to see when action

films are not up to snuff.

However, the film could have voided all criticism by being funny — a goal it inadvertently succeeds at. My biggest laugh came when two characters romantically described “their song” as “Now and Then,” the AI-generated Beatles song that came out last November. But any time the film wanted to make me laugh, it went for obvious observational humor and the cliched quips that Marvel movies ran out of a decade ago.

Even if the jokes were good, I would struggle to laugh due to the incongruent tone — there is seemingly a plot twist every 20 minutes, each presented as deathly serious, conflicting with the jokes.

If each twist was made out like a joke, it would be a lot easier to just go with the flow of the movie, but the film insists that everything that is happening should and does make sense.

The script practically forces everyone to verbalize everything happening on screen at least twice, reducing performances from usually strong actors, including Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston and Catherine O’Hara, into nonsense.

The only one who gets away with

Explore Black history through these books ARMAN SAXENA

ASST. A&E EDITOR

Almost 100 years ago, in February 1926, African-American historian Carter G. Woodson launched what eventually became Black History Month. Black history is American history and the lives and stories of African-Americans are too often sidelined when people tell the story of the United States. Literature is essential in sharing the Black experience, and the following works will serve as a good introduction for anyone wanting to start learning more about Black history this February.

“The Fire Next Time” by: James Baldwin

“A Taste of Power” by: Elaine Brown

“Between the World and Me” by: Ta-Nehisi Coates

“Homegoing” by: Yaa Gyasi

“Beloved”

by: Toni Morrison

“The Wretched of the Earth” by: Frantz Fanon

“Open Water”

by: Caleb Azumah Nelson

“Milk Blood Heat” by: Dantiel W. Moniz

Read more online at ricethresher.org.

the atrocious dialogue is Samuel L. Jackson, who is a bright spot in an otherwise stiff and wooden cast. He is not the only flash of competency though — there are a few moments of action that feel fun, and the film does at least attempt to use color in a meaningful way, something that many recent action movies forget. The film is also an original concept, signaling a turn away from action IP in Hollywood.

This is all inconsequential, though, when the film feels soulless and over-produced.

As many critics and online movie fans have pointed out, the best thing about “Argylle” being released is that the movie community no longer has to watch the trailer every single time you go to the theater.

COURTESY APPLE TV

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024 • 13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Seniors steal the show in Rice Theatre’s production of ‘Art’ KRISTAL HANSON

FOR THE THRESHER

Rice Theatre’s senior capstone play, “Art,” is set to take the stage later this week and highlights the eight graduating seniors in the Visual and Dramatic Arts theatre concentration. “Art” is the final hurrah for one of Rice’s last classes of theatre majors, and the comedic production is originally a French-language play by Yasmina Reza.“Art” will run Feb. 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 18 at 2 p.m., and tickets are “pay what you can” for all attendees.

Sophia Devereux, the show’s stage manager, said she appreciated the chance to work alongside seasoned senior actors and felt it contributed to a fun but serious environment.

“They’re all very close, and they’re all very sweet and they’re all very experienced. So it makes putting the show on a really nice job because people come in, they take it seriously, they know

what’s expected of them and how to push themselves,” Devereux, a Hanszen College senior, said.

Parker Blumentritt, the play’s director, said that experience is one of the biggest advantages of a senior cast.

“There is that higher level of experience that you don’t get with younger casts,” Blumentritt, a Sid Richardson College senior, said. “You can really clearly see all the work and effort we’ve put into all these years learning.”

Jerome Cerio, one of the three actors in the production, said that “Art” distinguishes itself as a solely student-led effort.

“It’s being put on by us and completely advertised by us,” Cerio, a Wiess College senior, said. “We’re hoping that people will come to see it because of the people who are in it.”

The play revolves around three friends whose bond is tested when one purchases an expensive piece of modern art. Cerio said the play is an absurd commentary, as

Sarofim Hall reflects new vision for the arts HUGO GERBICH-PAIS

COURTESY DILLER SCOFIDIO + RENFRO

SENIOR WRITER

It is hard to imagine a more radical shift: from the basement of Sewall Hall — squeezed between the Welcome Center, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman’s office and social science faculty — to a purposefully built facility nestled in the arts cluster of campus. On Feb. 29, the School of Humanities and broader Rice community will break ground on the Susan and Fayez Sarofim Hall, the new “It is not centralization for the sake of home of the art department. The building is expected to be ready by the 2025-26 efficiency. It’s actually a totally different vision of the arts,” Canning said. school year.

Sarofim Hall was designed by the Discussions to create a new home for the art department began after an architecture studio Diller Scofidio + external review of the art department, Renfro, which has also designed projects commissioned by Dean of Humanities such as the Highline and the Shed in New York City. The design draws upon Kathleen Canning in Fall 2018.

“They wrote a brilliant nine-page the architecture of the Rice Media Center, concise report that basically said, this referencing the former’s prefabricated is an amazing art department, they steel frame.

“The building is going to be beautiful. are doing incredible work,” Canning said of the review. “[But] the space is a That’s without a doubt. But what happens shock, beyond a shock, and that began a in the building is also very important,” discussion about what we are going to do Bowdoin said. “This is a moment for us as a department to think about what we once the Rice Media Center goes.”

Sarofim Hall will be built on the offer.”

Freed from the geographical and site of the Rice Media Center, which was demolished in 2021. According to physical constraints that have repressed the department Canning, the and its offerings, former building Bowdoin said had outlived its art at Rice is lifespan by over 20 years and was in I don’t think that everyone poised to develop substantially in need of constant associates studio art the next few years. repair.

Natasha with research, but it is “I think we Bowdoin, an are all looking at associate dean research-based work. the building as a of humanities Emily Stein way to reconsider and associate SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT what we do [and] professor of art, FOR THE SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES what the major said the space also wasn’t conducive to student and faculty is made up of, and adding new courses that are more interdisciplinary,” Bowdoin work any longer. “[The Rice Media Center] was a said. “We all feel more urgency to kind of compromised space because it was never crack open the curriculum and really have meant to last as long as it did,” Bowdoin the curriculum match the porosity of the said. “It’s undoubtedly true that the spatial building.”

The 80,000 square-foot space will constraints that we were all bumping into as faculty really had a serious impact also contain several spaces for learning and on what students could do and what we presenting art. Rice Cinema will have a new permanent home, alongside the could do with the students.”

Prior to 2021, the then-VADA studios, labs and gallery spaces required department was spread out across for the art disciplines. Notably, Sarofim campus. Film, photography, Rice Cinema Hall will not contain a theater, indicative and faculty offices were housed in the of Rice’s shift away from theater that Rice Media Center, while painting, was crystalised when the major was printmaking and sculpture resided in discontinued last year. Sarofim Hall will, Sewall Hall. All of these facilities will now however, contain a flex space that can be live in Sarofim Hall. The department itself used for exhibitions and performances.

Editor’s note: This article has been cut was renamed as the Art department in 2023, reflecting the changes coming to the off for print. Read the full story online at ricethresher.org department.

The exploration of friendships and well as a critique on modern art itself.

“It’s just this really absurd circumstance growing up is particularly fitting for a and really funny to watch these people play orchestrated by a tight-knit group of arguing over a white painting,” Cerio said. seniors.

“It feels like “But, in a way, a lot everything has of it is commentary come full circle on modern art and because we have how absurd it can It feels like everything has been doing shows be.” since our freshman Beyond the come full circle because year together with humor and we have been doing shows people who I’m commentary on since our freshman year really close friends art, Devereux said together with people who with,” Cerio said. the production “Being our senior delves into I’m really close friends capstone and the profound themes. with. last big project “More than that we’re going to anything it talks Jerome Cerio do, there’s a lot of about friendships WIESS COLLEGE SENIOR passion behind it.” and relationships, Devereux echoed these sentiments and and growing up, and dealing with conflict,” Devereux said. “I think that’s said that she is anticipating one of her something that we as humans experience final shows with Rice Theatre.

“I’m looking forward to one last all the time, and I think it’s fun to see it hurrah,” Devereux said. live on stage in a theatrical way.”

Dramatic changes for VADA CHIARA MORETTI

THRESHER STAFF

Dissolving concentrations altogether, replacing the theatre major with a minor and a complete name change — the Visual and Dramatic Arts major has recently undergone a variety of changes that are effective for the matriculating class of 2023.

Dean of the School of Humanities Kathleen Canning and Director of the Rice Theatre Program Christina Keefe issued a proposal to the Faculty Senate for the creation of the theatre minor and the renaming to the Department of Art which was approved Nov. 29 2023.

The VADA major previously included three concentrations: Studio Art, Film and Photography and Theatre. However, these concentrations are now only available for current sophomores and upperclassmen.

The incoming students, including current freshmen, will have a single Art major that combines elements of film, photography and studio art.

According to Natasha Bowdoin, an associate dean in the Department of Art, having major concentrations is too restrictive for students. This new major provides students with a broader education and has the potential to draw more students.

“The freeing of the disciplines and the new art department formation is enticing to a lot of students who beforehand might have felt like the concentration set-up was too restrictive,” Bowdoin said. “These free things are up and our numbers are growing.

I’m taking a leap to say they’re connected, but the way our program is structured now is more in line with other cutting edge contemporary programs in the country.”

However, some students would rather commit to a specific track. Cal Mascardo, a film and photography concentrator, has appreciated focusing on the form of art they are most interested in instead of receiving a broad education. “[The new major] sort of limits you in terms of what you can focus on within your concentration and what counts as valid creative expression,” Mascardo, a McMurtry College sophomore, said.

According to Canning and Bowdoin, up until fall 2018, the VADA major had never undergone an external review.

Four expert professors with diverse backgrounds in theatre and art were brought in to inspect Rice’s VADA program and compare it with schools of similar caliber.

After extensive evaluations, which included student exit surveys and interviews, they concluded that Rice’s program was too “siloed” and constricted, limiting students’ options to just one concentration. This differed from other universities’ art programs, which provided various options for students under

one major.

Additionally, theatre isn’t typically integrated into a general art department as it was at Rice. However, Zeisha Bennett, a VADA major with a concentration in Film and Photography, said she believes theatre connects to other art disciplines.

“It felt random and a little unnecessary in a sense,” Bennett, a Baker College junior, said. “Visual and dramatic arts go hand-inhand … I’m sure there were reasons at the time for them to make changes.”

Though theatre may be separated from this department, Canning said this new minor under the School of Humanities advocates for theatre to finally exist on its own.

“Theatre having its own space and coherence also has potential to attract more students because it’s recognizably a theatre program, even if it’s a minor,” Canning said.

This new minor also offers students the chance to explore other interests.

Christina Keefe, a professor in the practice and a professional actor for more than two decades, said she has noticed her students have other pursuits along with theatre and feels like this change will give them a chance to explore those interests.

“I see a lot of growth ... this frees people up to do the theatre minor and all the other things without being stressed,” Keefe said.

Cece Gonzalez, a Baker College freshman, was disappointed when she learned Rice will no longer be offering a theatre major. Though undeclared, she decided to pursue English, largely because of her passion for theatre.

“One thing that I’d really like to do with my English degree is bridge the gap between the English and literary world and the artistic and theatrical world … my English focus is still a theatrical one, so I was able to morph that dream of a theatre major into an English major and theatre minor,” Gonzalez said.

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

VIVIAN LANG / THRESHER

14 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

THE RICE THRESHER

Family fuel: Malia Fisher takes inspiration from home

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS Junior forward Maria Fisher attempts a shot against Tulane University during a home game on Jan. 20. She leads the team with 116 rebounds this season.

HADLEY MEDLOCK

A&E EDITOR

Although Malia Fisher, a junior forward on the women’s basketball team, has long wanted to be a basketball player and even started talking to D1 coaches in middle school, she wasn’t initially sold on Rice University.

“I took a visit [to Rice] my junior year, and I absolutely hated it. My coach that drove us when we got off the plane got lost, and we ended up in this really bad part of Houston. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go here,’ [but] the rest of the visit was fine,” Fisher said. “I never saw any of the facilities … I never met any of the girls on the team, so it was a really weird dynamic on that visit. I kind of just walked away from it.”

When it came down to her decision between Rice and the University of Colorado Boulder, though, Fisher’s coach sat her down and urged her to think about the value of a Rice education. Fisher said she decided she wanted to go to the place that would allow her a more well-rounded education.

“I went downstairs at [midnight]. I went into my mom’s room and right there told her I was going to commit to Rice the next day,” she said. “I just kind of spontaneously decided that I wanted to go here, and it ended up probably being one of the best decisions that I could have ever made.”

As she navigated three elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools, sports were always a constant for Fisher.

“I’ve been playing basketball for as long as I can remember. I was really athletic as a kid. I was the one that was playing soccer and softball and any sport that you can imagine,” Fisher said. “But I think basketball is what really stuck and what I kind of grew up in.”

Part of this athleticism comes from her family. Fisher’s mom was a basketball player at Middle Tennessee State University.

Her father played collegiate football at the University of Tennessee and professionally for the Minnesota Vikings. Her brother also currently plays baseball in an independent league and is looking to break into the minor

leagues. Because of this, Fisher has always I guess moving around so much, I was never had a built-in support system for pursuing the person to just go out and make a bunch of friends and be the life of the party. I think her athletic goals.

“My whole family, we love sports. I I turned to books as my outlet,” Fisher said. think it’s what has brought us together as “I’m taking responsibility for this — my a family,” Fisher said. “My brother is my whole team reads now, and I love it. We had anchor. He’s the closest person I have that’s a little book club going on, and it just makes been through this process of playing in me so happy to see them so happy about college. He understands my mental battles books because I think that’s a lost love in … so I go to him for a lot of support in that our generation.”

While her future plans are not set in role.”

Her biggest supporter, though, is her stone, Fisher said she currently hopes to continue playing basketball professionally older sister.

“My sister has cerebral palsy, so she either overseas or in the WNBA. “I have had a lot of people talk to me wasn’t able to play sports, but she was in the gym with us all the time or at any sporting about it, and I can’t play basketball my event we ever had,” Fisher said. “She texts whole life. Eventually, that’s something I me every day about basketball, she reposts won’t be able to do anymore,” she said. “And everything that Rice women’s basketball they told me, ‘Why not do it until you can’t do it anymore?’, because I think the world is posts … and she watches every game.”

“I think she is one of my biggest always going to be here.”

As a double major in psychology and motivators,” Fisher added. “I want to play for her. I want to make her proud because sports management, Fisher said that if she doesn’t go on to play professionally, or when she loves it so much.”

Despite the prevalence of athletes on she stops playing years down the line, she social media, Fisher finds inspiration still wants to work for a professional sports elsewhere. She looks up to role models in team. She hopes to take on a communityoriented role her athletic family, for a basketball especially her organization, mother. helping to show that “My sister is 37, athletes are wellso my mom actually I want to play for [my rounded people. had her the summer sister]. I want to make her “I think another going into her proud because she loves it passion I have is just freshman year of getting society to college. She had her so much. see that athletes are whole basketball Malia Fisher more than just what career, she also they play,” she said. had my sister at the JUNIOR BASKETBALL FORWARD “I think there’s this same time. [She was] going to class and my sister would perception about athletes that all they can have to go to therapy,” she said. “That’s do is play their sport, and I really want to another reason my mom is one of my most highlight that that’s not the case.”

As for now, though, Fisher hopes inspirational figures. She was able to do that with a child with special needs on top of that to continue leaving her mark on Rice and be as successful as she was in her role.” basketball.

“I want to win [a] conference Although Fisher is a long-time athlete, she doesn’t watch sports — she doesn’t even championship and keep growing that have a TV. Outside of basketball, Fisher likes dynamic,” Fisher said. “[I want] to kind of just go out with a bang and do as much as to read.

“I love reading, I can’t stress that enough. I can here.”

UFL’s Roughnecks set to call Rice Stadium home football history of the city of Houston, and we look forward to adding to this legacy ASST. SPORTS EDITOR by hosting the Roughnecks during the Owls fans at Rice Stadium watched the historic debut season of the UFL,” Rice vice Rice University football team clinch a bowl president and director of athletics Tommy berth this past season, and now they’ll have McClelland said in the announcement.

The UFL is the product of a merger another home team.

The Houston Roughnecks, one of eight between the XFL and the United States teams in the United Football League’s Football League. The two leagues joined forces in December inaugural season, after competing will play five home for players, games at Rice sponsorship, Stadium in 2024, We’re going to build an rights according to an exciting atmosphere at Rice television and regional announcement markets for several from Rice Athletics. Stadium, one that is worthy years. The league The Roughnecks of Roughneck nation and touts itself as the are the only team in its most passionate fans. “premier spring the UFL scheduled football platform,” to play home games CJ JOHNSON keeping football at a universityROUGHNECKS HEAD COACH fans engaged in the associated stadium.

Rice Stadium has previously hosted Rice, sport well after the NFL playoffs conclude in University of Houston and Texas Southern February.

The Roughnecks are led by Reid Sinnett, University football games, but its history goes beyond the NCAA. The venue hosted a former NFL quarterback who is the early John F. Kennedy’s “We choose to go to the favorite to earn the starting job when the moon” speech in 1962, 21 Houston Oilers regular season begins at home on Sunday, games from 1965 to 1967 and Super Bowl March 31. Other notable players include former LSU defensive tackle and national VIII in 1974.

“Rice Stadium has been the scene for champion Glen Logan, former Tampa Bay countless thrilling moments in the rich Buccaneers wide receiver Cyril Grayson and

ANDERSEN PICKARD

former Canadian Football League East AllStar wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. With an experienced roster, the Roughnecks believe they can build something special for the city of Houston and its football fans. Although this is their first season in the UFL, the franchise did exist for two seasons in the XFL, making the playoffs in 2023 before losing to the Arlington Renegades in the South Division Championship.

“We’re going to build an exciting atmosphere at Rice Stadium, one that is

EDITORIAL CARTOON

worthy of Roughneck nation and its most passionate fans,” head coach CJ Johnson said in the Rice Athletics announcement.

“I hope all Houstonians will join us for an incredible season of spring football at Rice.”

After their season opener, the Roughnecks don’t return to Houston until April 21, when they begin a two-game homestand. They finish the regular season on the road in early June. General tickets are already on sale, and the team plans to announce a special offer for Rice students within the next few weeks.

“Owl-American”

HONG LIN TSAI / THRESHER “This is our largest attendance yet!”

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 • 15

SPORTS

Luke McCaffrey turns heads at Senior Bowl down the field, just was always straining to finish,” Bloomgren said last month. “He ASST. SPORTS EDITOR loved doing those things without the ball that make you an all-around great football Junior wide receiver Luke McCaffrey player.” represented Rice football and boosted his The week of Senior Bowl festivities draft stock during the 2024 Reese’s Senior concluded with a televised game on NFL Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Network. After several wide receivers opted McCaffrey started turning heads as out of the Senior Bowl, McCaffrey found soon as drills began on Feb. 1. Reporters himself with increased opportunities to and critics at the event praised the wide showcase his skills on the national stage. He receiver for a variety of plays, including caught two passes for 28 yards, including a his touchdown highlight-reel play catch on a pass over the middle in from potential firstwhich he made a round quarterback I think his consistency and one-handed catch Michael Penix Jr. the way that he became and picked up the and a nifty play first down. over the middle in a great teammate, great In the aftermath which he created blocker down the field, of McCaffrey’s big separation against just was always straining week, national potential firstmedia outlets to finish. round cornerback started to label Quinyon Mitchell. him as one of the MIKE BLOOMGREN McCaffrey also RICE FOOTBALL HEAD COACH event’s biggest showed off his surprises, making versatility throughout the week, setting him an appealing candidate for all 32 NFL blocks for teammates and operating as a teams ahead of April’s draft. returner on special teams. Rice Football “It’s reasonable to believe he’s risen head coach Mike Bloomgren previously higher on the draft boards since he turned told the Thresher that McCaffrey’s so many heads at the Senior Bowl,” Crissy willingness to set blocks was one of his Froyd of The Sporting News wrote. most underrated skills.

“Not many receivers were given great “I think his consistency and the way that chances to thrive, but Rice [wide receiver] he became a great teammate, great blocker Luke McCaffrey had two nice catches,”

Eric Edholm, a lead draft writer at NFL. com, wrote. “He also added a 20-yard punt return, showing the added value he can bring to an NFL team.”

But McCaffrey’s strong impression is more than just fuel for internet jargon.

The latest mock drafts, which are expertproduced projections of when a prospect will be selected, have started to look in favor of the wide receiver. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, McCaffrey’s average ranking has increased 35 spots since the start of the Senior Bowl, from 165 to 130.

The large jump in ranking now has McCaffrey projected as a late-fourth-round pick. In fact, Aaron Leming of Bear Report compiled a mock draft in which McCaffrey

Scott Powers: major league analyst acing Rice

his qualifications but put more emphasis Having been introduced to the hobby by on his character and personality. Lou his brother, Powers now shares his love of Zhou, a freshman from Sid Richardson games designed by Antoine Bauza, such as College who works in Powers’ lab, praises “7 Wonders” and “Hanabi,” with students his approachability, stressing that, as such as Detwiler.

“Honestly, playing board games is not so experienced as Powers is, nothing tops his different from math or making decisions for a willingness to share that learning.

“Powers is an incredible teacher and baseball team,” Powers said. “I carry around person and I’m really lucky to work under my favorite game, Hanabi, everywhere with him,” Zhou wrote in an email to the Thresher. me, because you never know when you’ll “He really prioritizes creating a relaxed, find some people who will play. It’s actually collaborative environment where all lab a really popular game among the Chicago members learn from one another, and he’s Cubs R&D staff.”

How does a Rice always open to help classroom compare and give advice. My to the rarefied air of first ever interaction MLB? According to with him was me Having experience with a Powers, now several coming to his office weeks into his hours, while not couple of the top teams in even a member of the game, I’m able to come second semester on campus, adjusting his class, where we to class with confidence. back to academia talked about soccer has brought analytics for about an SCOTT POWERS fulfillment over and hour and a half.”

ASST. PROFESSOR OF SPORTS above the stress.

“He has a ANALYTICS AND STATISTICS “I’ve just been so teaching background at Stanford, and then he went into the happy in this job,” Powers said. “It’s been industry,” Brady Detwiler, a freshman from great working with students both in the Duncan College, said. “To combine that he classroom and on research projects. This knows what he’s doing in the classroom job has been a lot more fun than working in with the practical experience he has, that’s baseball. [The MLB] felt more glamorous in some ways, because you’re associated with someone you want to learn from.”

In his free time, of which he says he has this vaunted team, but the day-to-day of the little, Powers likes to play board games. job has just been so much fun here.”

ANDERSEN PICKARD

COURTESY SCOTT POWERS Assistant professor of sport analytics and statistics Scott Powers poses after a champagne shower when the Houston Astros swept the New York Yankees in the 2022 ALCS at Yankee Stadium.

LANDRY WOOD

THRESHER STAFF

Scott Powers’ office, on the second floor of Kraft Hall, is sparse. It bears a few books on a small bookcase, some panels from the webcomic XKCD in magnet and mug form and, propped against the window, two plaques bearing the signatures of the World Series-winning 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers and 2022 Houston Astros. Conspicuously absent are the two World Series rings Powers himself owns from those teams and seasons.

Powers, an assistant professor of sports analytics and statistics at Rice since July 2023, worked in MLB front offices for six years after earning his doctorate in statistics from Stanford University. The majority of that time was spent in the Dodgers organization, mainly as the director of quantitative analysis. During his tenure, Los Angeles won their first World Series since 1988.

At the end of 2021, Powers left the Dodgers and became the Astros’ assistant general manager in 2022, during which they won their second World Series in franchise history. According to Powers, Rice seemed the most exciting place to come next as he neared the end of his time with Houston.

“I remember seeing the job posting

[for assistant professor],” Powers said. “I was in New York for the [American League Championship Series]. I’ve always had an affinity for Rice, and despite the fact that I had this really cool job with the Astros, I just got so excited when I saw the listing …

It wound up being a very easy decision for me.”

According to Powers, coming to Rice was a kind of return to his natural environment of academia. Before eating breakfast with Justin Turner and personally signing Yordan Alvarez’s 2022 contract extension, Powers attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Chicago and Stanford, working as an instructor at the latter two. Powers describes his sojourn in the professional world as assuring him of his ability to educate students. “[Having worked in MLB front offices] gives me a lot of confidence,” Powers said. “If I went straight from my Ph.D. into teaching, I would be wondering in the back of my mind, ‘But what is it that these teams are really doing behind closed doors?’ But having experience with a couple of the top teams in the game, I’m able to come to class with confidence that what I’m teaching is worthwhile for the students to learn.”

Powers’ students share this trust in

was selected 123rd overall, in the fourth round, by the Chicago Bears. Leming compared McCaffrey to Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, who earned Second Team All-Pro honors as a rookie this year. “[McCaffrey is] good with contested catches and possesses a quality catch radius,” Leming wrote.

“Playing quarterback should help his understanding of route concepts and how to set up defensive backs.”

McCaffrey recently told the Thresher that he plans to spend the next couple of weeks working out in Florida as he prepares for a variety of showcase events, including the NFL’s Scouting Combine and his Pro Day at Rice.

COURTESY RICE FOOTBALL Rice wide receiver Luke McCaffrey runs with the football during the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., in preparation for the NFL Draft.

16 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024

BACKPAGE

Lovely Valentines from the Backpage i’d love to CMOR of you this valentine’s day

i’m canceling classes because you just made me freeze to: from:

to: from:

She Sid on my Richard til we have a Son to: from:

you ignite the Inferno in my heart to: from:

can i jack for your dingle? to:

our love is True, Dog

from: to: from:

i want you to redesign my quads

to: from:

are you my o-week sibling? because i last forever to: from:

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.

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