The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Senate debates resolution to boycott, divest SA funds from Israel-aligned companies

Measure to adopt BDS guidelines for SA spending faces legal questions

Public parties to resume, Martel sundeck off-limits for morning party

Public parties to resume, Martel sundeck off-limits for morning party

RIYA MISRA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Pub will stay 21+ through Beer Bike, become 18+ April 11

Campus-wide public parties will resume in time for Beer Bike and Brown College’s Bacchanalia, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman announced in an email to students March 22. The sundeck will permanently be off-limits for Martel College’s morning party, and colleges will not be allowed to reschedule or host additional public parties this semester.

Pub nights will remain restricted to attendees 21 or older through Beer Bike. Starting April 11, Pub general manager Maya Gerke said Pub nights will reopen to attendees 18 and older.

Gorman had previously issued a ban on public parties, restricted Pub attendance and convened an alcohol policy advisory committee in November 2023, following the early shutdown of Wiess College’s Night of Decadence.

The APAC met seven times between December 2023 and March 2024 to discuss “alcohol-related health/safety and behavioral patterns across campus,” according to their final report. Gorman

wrote that she will accept most of the APAC’s recommendations in full, which includes designating the sundeck off-limits.

Martel’s Beer Bike Coordinators declined to comment.

The ability to drink on campus is a privilege, and not a right.

Bridget Gorman DEAN OF UNDERGRADUATES

Publics and Pub

All undergraduate events with an expected attendance of over 200 must have mandatory ticketing, the report wrote. Public parties with indoor and outdoor spaces will be limited to the indoor capacity to prevent “overflow.” Attendees must present their student IDs to cross-check with the

ticketing list. Holden Koch, Brown’s social coordinator and social vice president, said line management will be the biggest goal of Bacchanalia this year. He estimated capacity will be around 750 to 800 attendees, though they won’t organize an outdoor beer garden this year.

“Our biggest goal is to try to reduce the amount of time spent in line and the amount of people in line,” Koch said. “[Last year], our line was really decorated and we think that really helped set the tone of … ‘Hey, you’re at a public, you’re not just in line.’”

Prior to Beer Bike, each residential college is required to submit a written statement to Gorman about their strategy for enforcing alcohol safety.

The APAC report recommends that Gorman and Pub “continue analysis of Pub capacity and access control strategies … but [feels] that details of any plans would be best informed by Pub leadership.” At time of

‘They weren’t afraid of the stage’:

fight no matter who we’re playing. Just ready to get after it, and I think we did that.”

In an arena with more than double the capacity of Tudor Fieldhouse, Rice women’s basketball forward Malia Fisher admitted that at one point the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La., was so loud she couldn’t hear herself think.

“It was a different environment, but you get used to it fast and then you just kind of acknowledge it and put it out of your mind,” Fisher, a junior, said. “That’s what we did.”

Rice adjusted to the new arena quickly, and Fisher said there was never a moment she felt overwhelmed in Baton Rouge. Fifth-year guard Destiny Jackson said she even enjoyed the noise on the court.

“We’re basketball players,” Jackson said. “We came to work. We came to

Rice lost 70-60 to the defending national champions Louisiana State University on March 22 to end their season. Despite their loss, the Owls kept the game close, forcing 24 LSU turnovers and outscoring LSU in the second and fourth quarters.

Rice surprised many on basketball’s biggest stage with a roster that will return all but one starter.

“I thought we did a lot of great things, but the main thing that I’m proud of is that we never for one second quit or looked like we didn’t believe that we belonged in this game,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said.

Despite FanDuel Sportsbook having LSU as a 28.5-point favorite and the fact that 14 seeds have never won a game in the NCAA Women’s Basketball

Tournament, Rice was never down by more than 11. They trailed 30-27 at halftime.

Edmonds said she couldn’t have been more proud of her young team.

“They weren’t afraid of that moment,” Edmonds said. “They weren’t afraid of the stage. And I think we represented Rice on a national stage really, really well.”

Edmonds has led the Owls to three winning seasons in her first three years at the school. This postseason

A student resolution calling on the Rice Student Association to participate in the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement was presented at the Senate meeting March 25. The resolution is titled “Student Association Boycott and Divestment from Corporations Complicit in the Ongoing Genocide in Gaza.”

Under S.RES 02, an ethical spending advisory board would monitor organizations using money from the Blanket Tax and Initiative Fund to ensure no SA-disbursed funds were spent at companies on the BDS list. The five voting members of the ESAB would include three senate members, the SA external vice president and a member of the Blanket Tax Committee.

The Student Association oversees the disbursement of some $400,000 collected through Rice’s student activity fee, the Blanket Tax. Blanket Tax organizations — including Rice Program Council, University Court and student media organizations — receive yearly budgets, while other student groups can request one-time funds for events through the Initiative Fund.

At the time of publication, the resolution calls for prohibitions on spending Blanket Tax money at companies that the BDS website says “profit from the genocide of the Palestinian people,” such as HewlettPackard, Papa John’s and Domino’s.

“BDS is a nonviolent movement led by Palestinians with a decades-long history involving activists across the world,” the Lovett College senator and co-sponsor of the resolution said in a speech at Senate March 25. “The boycott targets listed in this resolution are based in the longstanding political work of the BDS movement.”

Potential for legal uncertainties

The resolution’s sponsors, the senators from Lovett and Brown College, said they were inspired by divestment resolutions at universities across the country, including the University of California, Davis, the University SEE

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Fifth-year guard Destiny Jackson looks toward the net as she dribbles up the court in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday, March 22. Jackson’s last game with the Rice Owls was a 70-60 loss in March Madness to the defending champions Louisiana State University.

KATHLEEN ORTIZ

THRESHER STAFF

NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER

SARAH KNOWLTON & MARIA MORKAS FEATURES EDITOR & MANAGING EDITOR

FROM FRONT PAGE APAC

initial publication, Gorman said she hadn’t yet met with Pub leadership about capacity and attendance. As of March 25, Gerke said she had not spoken to Gorman. “Because of Beer Bike coming, our [April 4 Pub night] is going to be Alumni Pub, and it’s going to be 21 plus regardless,” Gerke, a Jones College junior, said. “It doesn’t make sense to give [students under 21] the pass to come in [this week] and then just take it from them the next week.

“If we made it 18 plus this week, it’d just be such chaos, guaranteed,” Gerke continued. “We don’t want … restrictions being put on Beer Bike just because people start to go crazy [at Pub].”

Amnesty and long-term policies

Students who receive medical transportation will now be subject to a mandatory assessment by the Wellbeing and Counseling Center. The APAC report also proposed changes to the amnesty policy, where those in violation would receive a temporary warning that won’t stay on a permanent judicial record. In

an interview with the Thresher, Gorman said she was “inclined” to implement the modifications, but will solicit more feedback before doing so.

Vincent Behnke, a Will Rice College junior, said he understands the logic behind increasing sanctions, but is concerned about how students would safely drink, if the amnesty changes were implemented.

“You don’t want to incentivize drinking too much hard alcohol. But I don’t think [changing amnesty] is going to stop people from doing that,” Behnke said. “All it’s going to do is stop people from calling REMS, or at least they’re going to have second thoughts about doing it … That could be a serious risk to students, if you’re sick and your friend isn’t going to call REMS immediately because they’re not sure if they’re going to be disciplined for doing the right thing.”

Gorman said she wants to discourage the idea that amnesty is a safeguard for students to consume alcohol without consequences.

“The ability to drink on campus is a privilege, and not a right,” Gorman said in

an interview with the Thresher last week.

“If the collective reaction of the community [after the ban is lifted] is ‘woohoo, here we go, I can do whatever I want’ — you never could do whatever you wanted. There always were very well-articulated policies, first beginning with Texas state law, then our alcohol policy and our Code of Student Conduct.”

The rest of the APAC recommends long-term educational and accountability strategies that Gorman’s office will begin to implement, she wrote. Suggestions include increased sanctions for colleges that violate the alcohol policy — such as formal warnings or elimination of FITQs and college nights, a “re-launch” of the culture of care and enhanced requirements for Chief Justice candidates.

“I don’t want to have to sanction students. I don’t want to have to sanction colleges,” Gorman said. “I think one of the best features of the undergraduate experience at Rice is the extent to which we respect students’ self-governance, but you must govern … and people must take these policies seriously. There’s still lots of space in here for people to have fun.”

Three years after rocky rollout, information technology office launches iO EvolutiOn

BELINDA ZHU ASST. NEWS EDITOR

When payment system ImagineOne was introduced in 2021, students said they were paid late, left without guidance and never consulted. Then-president David Leebron described the implementation as “terrible.” Paul Padley, the then-interim chief information officer, apologized.

Three years later, students and staff say they still experience issues.

Padley, who assumed the full role as chief information officer in 2022, said that the Office of Information Technology has focused on improving user experience during the past 18 months by soliciting feedback from users across departments such as human resources and payroll.

“We call this phase iO EvolutiOn: User Experience,” Padley wrote in an email to the Thresher. “The cornerstone for improvements was designing and implementing a governance structure to create seamless partnerships among the iO user community, central administration and OIT.”

ImagineOne replaced Banner as Rice’s payment system in summer 2021. Banner predated Wi-Fi and Google search by five years, Padley told the Thresher at the time.

However, iO’s implementation still left the OIT searching for the right system.

Following the change, student run businesses described difficulties accessing fund balances, assessing payroll and using the time clock system. Some students said that they were not paid an adequate amount because of the disruptions.

Some graduate students reported issues receiving their paychecks, some going without pay for months.

Faculty members discussed issues involving delayed payment. Some faculty members also reported issues with accessing grant money and the tracking of funding and spending.

In 2022, student run business described continued issues with iO, including budget trackers and approval from staff through the iO interface. Graduate students described increased difficulties surrounding the approval and tax system on iO.

Padley said OIT made enhancements through three phases, in response to issues

with graduate student pay.

“The first two phases addressed the immediate needs to provide wage and payment statements to the students, improve reporting for the department graduate coordinators and simplify payroll setup for graduate students to reduce opportunities for payroll errors,” Padley wrote. “The final phase is currently underway to address streamlined wages and payments for graduate fellows, which will be accomplished in August of 2024.”

Maria Martinez, who worked on iO as the School of Humanities representative, wrote in an email to the Thresher she’s seen many updates to iO, mostly to the dashboard.

“While I’m not particularly fond of what feels like constant reminders to ‘receive’ items that have been purchased through procurement’s punchout vendors … they really do work because once received, I’ll make it a point to clear [the reminders] before making my way to other tasks needing attention,” Martinez said.

Nishita Prasad, who used iO over two years for payroll at the welcome center and as a teaching assistant, said that while it is functional, she wishes it could be a little more user-friendly.

“I couldn’t find out what my wage was for a new job,” Prasad, a junior from McMurtry College said. “I had to wait until I got paid to calculate my wages. I feel like this is pretty important information that would be nice to have on iO. I also have noticed that some tax forms are delivered electronically but others are only mailed, so that has been a bit confusing for me.”

Camille Wong, who used iO for eight months as a student OIT helper, said information on iO can be initially challenging to find, but once used continuously becomes very straightforward and simple. However, Wong said the homepage’s design can be improved.

“At the top there is a row of different sections, while below, the column of ‘Quick Actions’ and section of ‘Apps’ adds even more options for the user to choose from,” Wong, a Hanszen College sophomore, said.

“As a result, the homepage can become cluttered and confusing for the user to navigate. I think if the options were further condensed, it would help achieve a higher user friendliness.”

Sage Lee, a Korean language consultant who has been using iO since her freshman fall semester, expressed frustrations using iO to log her hours.

“There is always some sort of error when I log my hours in,” Lee, a sophomore from Hanszen College, said. “I clock in [before] I have my meeting, and during the meeting, there is a high chance my laptop will sleep. While the computer is asleep, iO fails to keep track of time and always gives me an error, and it takes me so much time to try and figure the error out. Last month, I had another issue of iO double counting my hours and overlapping by adding some logs [by] one to two minutes.”

According to Padley, the design committee is continuing to fix pain points.

“An analysis is currently underway to assess and implement improvements to the expense module,” Padley wrote. “One of the key discussion points has been how to streamline the process for both undergraduate and graduate students and the staff who support their work.”

Martinez wrote that she hopes to see additional features, such as a home page search function, and remains hopeful for iO’s future.

FROM FRONT PAGE BDS

Houston and Columbia University.

A similar ballot referendum was revoked last week by the administration at Vanderbilt University after concerns about legal complications under Tennessee law, which prohibits state contracts with entities that engage in boycotts of Israel.

Texas has a comparable law that may complicate the resolution’s passage.

“Texas law prohibits state agencies and political subdivisions from contracting with businesses that boycott energy companies, discriminate against firearm entities or associations or boycott Israel,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote in a legal advisory in October 2023.

Rice’s general counsel Omar Syed said that S.RES 02 may face legal uncertainties if it passes.

“If this resolution moves forward, the legal terrain will become very uncertain, especially because there are alternative approaches that can be used to express the humanitarian sentiments in this resolution while upholding the Rice community’s commitment to education, conversation, dialogue, nondiscrimination and inclusiveness,” Syed wrote in a statement to the Thresher.

The sponsors of S.RES 02 stated that they do not foresee any legal trouble if the resolution is passed.

“We spoke with legal representatives regarding concerns raised by a variety of actors in advance of proposing the resolution,” they wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Initial perception in casual dialogue indicated that any legal issues raised held little to no weight and are likely fearmongering tactics to discredit the resolution. We are also in the process of scheduling meetings with a lawyer specializing in these issues.”

The sponsors added they would confirm any legal implications of their resolution before the next Senate meeting.

“In our initial discussions with legal representatives passing this resolution would not impact any federal or state contracts, funding or other services and any mischaracterization is a clear attempt by an opposition to place fear into our representatives in regards to voting,” they wrote. “We will follow up and double check this information, confirming that this is not a risk, and present all legal conclusions to the Senate next Monday.”

Ethical spending policy

The ethical spending advisory board would be responsible for developing and communicating policy regarding divestment and ethical spending, according to the authors of the resolution. The ESAB would also report policy changes to the Senate, which could be overturned or modified with a majority vote.

“S.RES 02 establishes a list of corporations identified on the BDS list as complicit in violation of international law. Therefore, money from the Blanket Tax should not be spent at these corporations,” the Lovett senator said. “Blanket tax organizations impacted by the implementation of the ethical spending policy should receive guidance on a reasonable buffer period.”

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

CATHERINE ZHOU / THRESHER

RUPD investigates three separate incidents of assault across campus

KENZIE LANGHORNE THRESHER STAFF

A male suspect followed a student into Will Rice College Feb. 21 and entered a student’s unlocked room while she was sleeping, according to Clemente Rodriguez, Rice University Police Department chief of police. When she woke up, she found him touching her leg. The student reported the incident to RUPD.

“We investigated and were able to identify the suspect,” Rodriguez said. “The investigation was presented to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and [the suspect] accepted criminal charges for burglary with the intent to commit assault, a second-degree felony.”

In recent weeks, RUPD has been investigating numerous incidents of alleged assault and unwanted touching that have occurred at Will Rice, along the outer loop and at Brown College.

According to a Rice alert sent Feb. 25, several claims of unwanted touching were made to RUPD on Feb. 24. An unidentified male cyclist circled the outer loop, inappropriately grabbing female joggers before riding away. A similar occurrence with the same suspect happened near the engineering quad.

“RUPD officers and investigators conducted a thorough investigation and were able to identify a possible suspect,” Rodriguez said. “A security specialist while on duty spotted an individual matching the suspect description. Officers responded and detained the suspect, who was arrested after he admitted to being the individual involved in the assaults in and around the perimeter of campus.”

According to Rodriguez, on Mar. 16, another incident happened at Brown College. A non-Rice affiliated male inappropriately touched a female student

in a stairway. The student was able to get away and call RUPD. The suspect was found inside Brown by RUPD officers, arrested, and charged with indecent assault, a Class A misdemeanor.

According to Rodriguez, RUPD officers and security experts patrol daily and interact with the campus and residential colleges 24 hours a day in an effort to discourage crime. Rodriguez said RUPD implements security measures such as access-control readers, security cameras and license plate recognition software at all residential colleges.

“RUPD strives to ensure we have the safest campus possible,” Rodriguez said. “We also rely on our campus community to support safety by reporting crimes quickly when they occur as well as any suspicious activity on campus. In many cases, the community has been instrumental in helping RUPD with crime deterrence and investigations.”

Brown College president Sara Davidson said she hopes RUPD can reassure the student body of campus’ safety and develop solutions to the repeated incidents.

“I have personally never had an incident where I have felt unsafe on campus,” Davidson said. “But obviously, with everything happening recently, I have felt less safe on campus now than perhaps before. I know that they are working hard, and I am relieved to know that they have been able to close many of the recent cases with reports going to [the Houston Police Department].”

Brown Chief Justice Abel Limachi said that earlier this year, a new gate was added to the entrance of Brown’s dormitories that requires a Rice ID to open, but the alleged indecent assault has shown that the new gate is not enough.

“I talked to my magister today, and one

of the things we realized was realistically anyone could walk into Brown coming off of the metro through the main entrance,” Limachi, a junior, said. “Entrance one is just an open gate with an open row that anyone can realistically walk through. Most of the time there is a RUPD officer keeping an eye on things but they’re not there 24/7 … I have reached out to RUPD with some concerns.”

Limachi said Brown magisters and residential associates sent out an email to the Brown listserv encouraging students to remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings whenever they are entering the tower, commons or the quad.

Will Rice Chief Justice Ayaan Riaz said some members of Will Rice’s outgoing and incoming leadership wrote a brief message to the members of their college addressing the incident.

“It’s disheartening to hear of so many cases of intrusions and assaults back to back,” Riaz, a sophomore, said. “Especially

considering the one [at] my own college … We believe everyone deserves to feel safe during their time at Rice.”

Riaz said every person in the Rice community has a responsibility to ensure everyone’s safety. According to Riaz, chief justices often emphasize this in relation to alcohol, but it remains relevant for campus safety.

“We have to look out for each other in our spaces, and that does include being more careful about locking our doors and being vigilant regarding strangers on college grounds,” Riaz said. “I think that these intrusions have served as a wakeup call to all of us that our bubble is not impenetrable, as unfortunate as that may be. I do sincerely hope that if another incident occurs students will be quick to reach out to the necessary support, be that their CJ, somebody on their core team or RUPD.”

Editor’s Note: Ayaan Riaz is the Thresher’s Web Editor.

BRC Express shuttle expands to off-campus population

IVANA HSYUNG THRESHER STAFF

Rice is piloting three shuttles that will transport undergraduate and graduate students to high-density residential areas off-campus free of charge starting March 18. The three lines will expand the BioScience Research Collaborative Express route to South Braeswood residential areas, the Rice Graduate Apartment shuttle for students living north of Hermann Park and the Rice Village shuttle for the North Bissonnet area. Currently, only the BRC Express route has been expanded. All routes are available on the apps TransLoc and Ride Systems.

According to Sustainability Program Coordinator Kristiana Bowles, the project began after they received feedback from the Graduate Student Association leadership regarding a pressing need for expanded transportation options.

Former GSA president Dhiraj Jain said that the creation of off-campus shuttles was the biggest project that he wanted to work on upon his election last year.

“Based on surveys, we found out that more than 90% of grad students live off campus, and most of them were within a two mile radius of Rice,” Jain said.

Jain said that when he first came to Houston, he felt the pressure to save and buy a car since Houston is not public transport friendly and did not want that sentiment to pass to any incoming student.

Jain and former Student Association president Solomon Ni brought up the idea during the October admin forum. According to Jain, the associate vice president for Campus Services and Sustainability Rick Mello reached out to Jain and Ni expressing interest in working on the project after the forum.

“The extension of the BRC Express route

is the culmination of a partnership between our team and the GSA leadership which included a great deal of discussion, data analysis and collaboration,” Mello wrote in an email to the Thresher.

Mello especially commends Jain and GSA Student Advocacy Vice President Xin Tan for their work on this project.

“Dhiraj and Xin did what good leaders do — advocated for the students they represent on an initiative that will benefit the entire Rice Community,” Mello wrote.

According to Jain, Ni wanted undergraduate off-campus student data to be included in the analysis so that the data would be more inclusive and the shuttle service could be useful to undergraduates as well. This data was collected through the Survey of All Students.

“Most of the undergrads are much closer to Rice as compared to graduate students. We see a lot of undergraduates living in Life Tower, which is just south of the BRC, and then more in the north of Hermann Park, but this was already represented by grad data. Since it’s basically one-to-one, we didn’t have to do a lot of changes to our routes,” Jain said.

Tan explained that clusters of students center around Bissonet, south of campus near Braeswood, Hermann Park and north of Highway 59 around Upper Kirby. Establishing new routes requires significant capital for both new vehicles and new drivers, and the decision to institute new routes are pending the results from the pilot.

“A compromise is that we repurpose the current route of least utility and extend to those areas,” Tan said.

According to Jain, the team was careful not to overlap with existing bus stops and additionally avoided directly stopping in front of residential areas.

“We found public lots like Kroger or

Randalls, and talked with those respective managements. They were okay with us having our shuttle stops there,” Jain said.

Bowles said that she worked alongside Eugen Radulescu, director of administrative services, and Juan Araniva, the shuttle driver coordinator, to test the route feasibility of each proposed expansion.

“I convened a final meeting to review the findings from the route tests and present the proposed BRC Express expansion. Upon review, it was agreed that it should be the first route piloted during the Spring 2024 semester,” Bowles said.

According to Tan, the decision to begin with the BRC Express route expansion was due to low BRC Express ridership and a high non-serviced off-campus Braeswood

population. The second expansion will be that of the RGA route to Hermann Park.

The lower priority was due to the fact that “[it] had the least population out of all living clusters. Deviating RGA can also present a significant delay of about 10-15 minutes each iteration,” Tan said.

The BRC shuttle originally ran from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. According to Jain, the full route time has been increased by 2 hours into the evening to accommodate the route expansion. While the route expansion will only run in the morning and evenings, it will follow the original route for the remainder of the day.

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

GUILLIAN PAGUILA / THRESHER

Randalls

Total Wine Plaza BRC

Rice sailing club sets sails for competitions

VIOLA HSIA ASST. NEWS EDITOR

The Rice Sailing Team placed third in the St. Francis Invitational Regatta in San Francisco March 10. The race lasted two days, from March 9 to 10. According to Rice Sailing Club President Manning Unger, Rice represented one of the nine teams present, which also included University of California, Davis, University of California, Berkeley and California Polytechnic Institute.

Unger, a junior from McMurtry College, said the sailors initially weren’t expecting much out of the race, as most of their Californian competition belonged to more competitive districts.

“The Pacific Coast Sailing Conference is generally much, much stronger than the Southeast Intercollegiate Sailing Association, which is our local regional district,” Unger said. “So we weren’t expecting much.”

Unger said that the team had mixed results on the first day of the regatta, but that the key to the team’s success was figuring out how to navigate the area under the Golden Gate Bridge, which had a strong

and tricky current.

“The Golden Gate is the entry point from San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. So all of the water from the ocean, when the tides change, have to flow out of this one narrow strait, meaning that it has the strongest current that I’ve ever personally sailed in my life,” Unger said.

Ricky Miller, RSC vice president, said the team picked up a lot of strategy on the first day of the regatta, which helped lead them to the eventual victory.

“We kind of went in not really knowing what to expect; we’ve never gone against any of these teams,” Miller, a Lovett College sophomore, said. “We were able to learn on the first day and then come back the second day and perform a lot stronger. After the first day, we were sixth [place], and then we made our way up to third by the second day.”

RSC sponsor Anne Smith said she was proud of the team’s victory, given the tricky conditions.

“Sailing is extremely hard — competing with mother nature every minute of every race and winning is a great feeling for all our sailors,” Smith wrote in an email to the Thresher. “I am so happy for our team to have done so well!”

When RSC treasurer Leo Merrick joined the club last year, the team hadn’t sailed competitively in four years. Since then, he said the team has attended nine competitions this year and hopes to host competitions next year.

“Finishing third was sort of a big statement for us and allowed us to go to the league and really say, ‘Look … we can be among the best,’” Merrick, a Duncan College sophomore, said.

Editor’s Note: Ahitagni Das is a photographer for the Thresher. This article has been cut off for print. Read the full article online at ricethresher.org.

Inaugural health science journal launches

JAMES CANCELARICH ASST. NEWS EDITOR

The inaugural issue of the Rice Remedy journal, the first student-run health sciences journal covering topics ranging from LGBTQ+ healthcare to the history of cancer, was released online Jan 7.

Editor-in-chief Anuska Santra said there are currently about 15 people working on the journal, including a team of writers who write about health science-related topics that interest them.

Santra, a junior at Sid Richardson College studying health sciences and neuroscience, said that she founded the journal with fellow Sid junior Bryant Polanco to highlight the scope and interdisciplinary nature of health sciences at Rice. She said she had previously worked on the Neurotransmitter, a neuroscience journal, but found herself more interested in health science topics.

“[Polanco and I] were interested in more beyond neuroscience, and we were interested in much more broader things that were aligning way more with the health science major,” Santra said. “So we [started] a journal that appealed to our personal interests a little bit more.”

Santra said she felt a need for the journal because health sciences is often poorly understood by the larger student body.

“A lot of people don’t quite know what health sciences mean,” Santra said. “So at Rice, health sciences is public health, what public health looks like, what public health professionals do … it’s very interdisciplinary, as I’ve discovered. Almost anything that I learn about can somehow be tied back into people’s health, and that’s very

WILLIAM LIU / THRESHER

interesting to me.”

Santra said that her interest in art also drew them to creating a journal that includes student designs.

“The art in the journal is very thoughtful,” Santra said. “I love art. I love thinking about art. I think that my nerdy STEMy pre-med stuff can be art.”

Polanco, who also studies health sciences and neuroscience, said his interest in art is also what inspired him to found the journal with Santra.

“I had a lot of background in design and in graphic design,” Polanco said. “I want to make [health sciences] more accessible, make it more fun and more appealing to look at.”

Faculty advisor for HEALAR Cassandra Diep, an assistant teaching professor of health sciences, said that the health sciences major and HEALAR prepare students for careers in health policy. She wrote the inaugural faculty address for Rice Remedy, a HEALAR publication.

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

AHITAGNI DAS / THRESHER

EDITORIAL

Practice safe drinking post-Prohibition

Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman finally released the long-awaited Alcohol Policy Advisory Committee’s recommendations regarding the alcohol policy on March 22. We have to be honest — it could have been much worse.

In terms of some immediate changes: publics will be allowed to resume, residential colleges must submit plans for promoting Beer Bike week safety and the Martel morning public can occur as a quad-only event (Sundeck, you will be missed). Other implementations include changes to event capacity and ticketing, possible changes to amnesty and other smaller tweaks to current policy. When compared to the fears of a dry campus or forever-cancelled publics that arose last semester, we have to admit that these changes really aren’t that bad.

In light of this report, we’re reminded

GUEST OPINION

We have to be honest — it could have been much worse.

that drinking on campus is a privilege, not a right. These past few months should serve as a lesson, though, and not an excuse to return to last semester’s ways with Beer Bike week approaching. Publics and big events can be taken away from us again just as easily, and we want to be able to both experience and preserve campus culture and tradition.

As we urged last semester, it’s still vital to keep drinking safety in mind — especially with the return of publics after an extended hiatus and the fact

that Beer Bike is our first major event post-prohibition. It may be easy to get over-excited with a week full of drinking events imminent, but now isn’t the time to go completely crazy. Know your limits, don’t be afraid to utilize resources like caregiving stations and just try to drink responsibly this next week. And, please don’t be afraid to reach out to higher forms of help if you need it — APAC’s intentions were not to scare students off calling REMS when necessary.

Lastly, just look out for yourself and for your friends. We may always joke about the Culture of Care, but it’s real. Make sure your friend has a water bottle, feed them a slice of pizza and have a fun (and safe) Beer Bike — we all deserve it.

Editor’s Note: Editor-in-Chief Riya Misra was recused due to her corresponding reporting in the News section.

Now is the time to understand religious diversity and discrimination at Rice

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.

Dear Rice University Students and Postdoctoral Fellows:

I am writing to strongly urge you to participate in the Boniuk Institute Survey of Religious Diversity at Rice.

In the midst of a nationwide increase in religious discrimination and hostility, particularly following the events of Oct. 7 in Israel and ensuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, there is a need to examine how Rice University students have been impacted, how they are responding and the degree to which religious tolerance, religious accommodations, and perceptions of religious discrimination at Rice have changed.

The Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance at Rice University is currently surveying all Rice students and postdocs until March 29, 2024. This survey examines experiences of, and attitudes towards, religious tolerance and

GUEST OPINION

discrimination, and the impact of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict has had on the Rice student and postdoc community.

Some things that are important to note:

1. The survey is being run by a non-partial entity. The Rice University administration has commissioned the Boniuk Institute to survey all Rice undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellows on the topics of religious discrimination and religious accommodation. They want to make sure that an entity distinct from the administration runs the survey. Issues of religion and non-religion have often been left out of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on university campuses and we want to make sure Rice University thoughtfully approaches such issues.

2. It’s important that we hear the voices of both religious and non-religious students. Whether you are religious or non-religious, you should participate. Given the current importance of these topics currently, it is critical that all students and postdocs at Rice have the opportunity to share their experiences. Participation in this survey is extremely valuable to Rice and will help us understand religious discrimination and needed religious accommodation on campus. Simply put, responses will have a direct impact on future Rice University

policies.

3. Responses are completely anonymous. The responses to the survey will be completely anonymous and will never be connected to students in any way. All analysis and reporting will be conducted at the aggregate level, and the data will be stored securely and according to Rice’s data privacy policies. I am a sociologist who is an expert in surveying at- risk populations and Dr. Kerby Goff, who is working with me, is an expert in survey data analysis and deidentification. It’s important to stress that we will never have access to the names of those who completed the survey.

4. We need data to respond with justice and effectiveness. Sometimes it’s the loudest voices who people assume are the most numerous.

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

Elaine Ecklund PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY, DIRECTOR, BONIUK INSTITUTE

We need to diversify Rice’s foodscape

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.

I’m hungry. Oh wait…

…the serveries are closed.

…no third parties are open.

…I forgot to pack lunch today.

…pasta is the only vegetarian option, again.

…I don’t want water chicken three days in a row.

…I ran out of Tetra.

…Rice Village is too far and too expensive.

…the shopping shuttle only operates on Saturdays.

…going off campus will take too long.

…getting Chaus isn’t feasible between classes.

Rice students have lots to say about access to food while on and around campus. Rice’s unique foodscape lives and breathes the school’s motto of unconventional wisdom by helping accommodate a diverse group of students. But to a certain extent, it could benefit from a taste of conventional wisdom. Implementing other universities’ foodscape features at Rice would benefit our students.

I began researching Rice’s foodscape last semester in Research Methods (SOCI 381) with Dr. Considine. This semester I continued the research by comparing Rice’s foodscape to those of other Texas universities. I traveled to Texas Christian University, Texas A&M University - College Station, University of Texas at Austin, and Texas Southern University to understand student experiences and to tour their foodscapes.

When I started the fieldwork, I quickly realized the extent of Rice administration’s control over our university’s foodscape. Though not widely perceived among the student body, Rice is situated completely in a low access food desert (as designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service). Therefore, Rice serveries profit by being the key provider of food to students on campus.

Being the only player in the market, Rice is a price setter. The university requires all on campus students to purchase Meal Plan A. Editor’s Note: This guest opinion has been cut off for print. Read the full article at ricethresher.org.

Megan McDonald SID RICHARDSON COLLEGE JUNIOR

Website: www.ricethresher.org

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The road less taken: travel scholarships at Hanszen, Wiess

SPRING CHENJP MANAGING EDITOR

Touring a tobacco farm in Cuba, eating at a Michelin-starred bistro in Paris or visiting urban gardens in Spain: unique experiences abound when venturing beyond the hedges. Though the Rice Office of Study Abroad offers a variety of scholarships for students interested in academic travel, lesser-known are Hanszen and Wiess Colleges’ travel scholarships.

Wiess College administers the Dr. John E. Parish Fellowship for Summer Travel, which is available to all students. The Parish Fellowship was first awarded in 1982 after the death of John Parish, English professor and former Wiess College Resident Associate.

Funded partially by the Parish Fellowship, Kenna Dixon spent the summer after her freshman year touring urban gardens in six different countries.

Dixon, who is majoring in biosciences, said her interest in urban gardens came from her conservation biology class that focused on managing biodiversity in urban settings.

“[At] first, I wanted to do Spain and visit the parks and gardens,” Dixon said. “I would visit those, try to talk to the people that work there and manage them and then reflect. I wanted to go to places like city

parks, historical gardens and things like that, understanding how people represent biodiversity and beauty at the same time.”

Dixon submitted a budget alongside her proposed travel plan, including airfare, food, lodging, daily activities and admission to gardens. She said the fellowship covered the majority, but not all, of her travel.

“I had originally designed for the fellowship to be, I think, a month and a half to two months,” Dixon said. “Then I had my own funds, so I was able to combine them and travel for a lot longer.”

As she hoped, Dixon’s travel included speaking to urban gardeners.

“I got to speak to, for example, a community garden organizer in Prague. He talked to me about how the city was really interested in what he was doing. They’re giving him space in this brown field, which is land that was previously contaminated.”

Though much of Dixon’s travel was planned, she said chance encounters led to her visiting additional sites, such as meeting another American student interested in ecology.

“She tells me about this project by a local university, and it’s literally exactly what my project is on.” Dixon said. “People design their own plans and plots of a garden, on how to make it biodiverse and beautiful at the same time, and ideas along that line … So I went and I visited that, and I spoke to

the Ph.D. student who was involved in that project.”

Dixon will present a summary of her research in April at the annual Wiess College awards ceremony.

Hanszen College’s scholarships are restricted to Hanszenites and come from endowed gifts, according to magister Fabiola LópezDurán. While the Richard and Lisa Smith Travel Scholarship funds students spending a semester or year abroad, the Ed and Carol Monarchi Scholarship is available for any length of academic travel, which Beth Buchanan ’21 received prior to her death.

VIRGINIA LIU / THRESHER

course with a travel component, such as HART 304: A Revolution from Within with a spring break trip to Cuba, and Unlearning Paris, taught at the Rice Global Paris Center.

“[Buchanan] had the opportunity to spend a summer in Scandinavia,” LópezDurán said. “She was well on her way to becoming a scholar in organizational power and discrimination-related issues [and went to] Sweden and Denmark, countries with a high rate of gender equality.”

In an email to the Thresher, LópezDurán said Buchanan’s psychology research, which began during her travels, was recently presented by her former Ph.D. advisor at a conference at Rice. Other awardees of the Monarchi Scholarship include students enrolled in a

The Klaus and Eugenia Weisenberger Award is unique in funding students interested in learning about regional cuisines. Named in honor of two former Hanszen magisters, it was established in 2006.

“A student could visit a famous [restaurant] in Japan or a Michelin star restaurant in Paris, [and] spend time in the kitchen of the restaurant,” López-Durán said.

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

Colette Nicolaou on love, learning and lecture

NOAH BERZ SENIOR WRITER

In 2011, Colette Nicolaou left her home in Los Angeles — along with her family, her friends and a job she loved — and followed a boy to Houston. She knew no one and her psychologist license wasn’t valid in Texas. She did it for love, Nicolaou said. Soon after her arrival in Texas, she married her nowhusband.

“It worked out, thank goodness,” Nicolaou, a lecturer in Rice’s psychological sciences department, said. “We had been dating for a number of years and it was time to be in the same city, so I thought, ‘I’ll come out here, I’ll try it, I’ll see what it’s like.’”

Nicolaou was born to Greek immigrants in San Diego. She and her three younger brothers had a close relationship growing up, and family remains a major part of her life.

“I come from a big fat Greek family,” Nicolaou said. “Knowing me … is like really

knowing my family, because they’re just such a big part of me.”

Nicolaou graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in biology and medical anthropology before earning her masters in physiology and biophysics at Georgetown University. She was well on her way to pursuing a career in medicine, but one fateful Georgetown lecture changed her mind.

“I had a lecture during my masters about schizophrenia, which is this potentially devastating disorder that has this very strong genetic component to it … but that also has this fascinating environmental component,” Nicolaou said. “I thought, ‘Let me learn a little bit more about this.’”

Nicolaou had shown no interest in psychology as an undergraduate — in fact, as an undergraduate, she hated her university’s own introduction to psychology lecture. Years later, Nicolaou completed her psychology post-baccalaureate in one year, taking classes at multiple universities in Southern California simultaneously, and finally went on to earn a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Drexel University.

Nicolaou was appointed to Rice’s psychological sciences teaching faculty in Spring 2011, after Sarah Burnett, now professor emeritus of psychological sciences at Rice, invited her to give a guest lecture in her Health Psychology class. Since then, Nicolaou has received several accolades for her student-centered teaching methodology, including the Sarah Burnett Teaching Prize in the Social Sciences in 2019 and the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching in 2018, 2020 and 2022. Despite her success as an educator, Nicolaou said she still holds true to her training as a clinician.

“If someone asks me [about] my profession, I still say psychologist, because I still feel as though that’s what I am,” Nicolaou said. “I’m not seeing patients now … but I still get to form these great relationships.”

Forming relationships has been an integral part of Nicolaou’s teaching career.

Her trademark class is PSYC 101, popular for undergraduates of all majors with 220 students in her spring 2024 sections. She gives out her personal phone number at the beginning of each semester, and when she bumps into a student she knows, she’s eager to hear what they’ve been up to since they last talked.

“If one of her students is sick, [Nicolaou] will give the whole lecture again to one student to make sure they don’t get behind,” Sriya Kakarla, a PSYC 101 teaching assistant, said.

“The first step of therapy is the rapport and the connection that you have with the patient. I think it’s the same in a classroom,” Nicolaou said. “For me to be able to teach you anything, we’ve got to have a good relationship, you have to trust me, I have to trust you … It’s all relationships.”

Nicolaou said she gets her students excited about the course by integrating personal experiences into the lesson. For example, instead of listing symptoms in a Powerpoint presentation, she’ll call on students to share their own stories. In a lecture about taste buds, she had students stand in front of the class and bite down on test strips to demonstrate supertaster sensitivity.

of teaching faculty in the psychological sciences department which meets regularly to discuss the challenges of teaching at the university level. As a non-tenure track faculty member, Nicolaou has no research responsibilities on campus, thus teaching more and larger classes than most tenure track professors do.

“We would prefer to have classes of 10 to 15, but obviously in psychological sciences that isn’t always possible,” Sandy Parsons, director of undergraduate studies in psychological sciences, said. “We talk a lot about how we make sure that the classes are maximally interactive, and have lots of great experience and experiential learning components.

Would you rather hear me list off a bunch of symptoms or would you rather have your peers share their personal stories?

Colette Nicolaou PSYCHOLOGY LECTURER

“When we talk about mental illness in my class, I just ask students about who’s had a panic attack, and they raise their hand and they talk about their symptoms,” Nicolaou said. “Then I flip the slide and all the symptoms they just said are on my slide. Would you rather hear me list off a bunch of symptoms, or would you rather have your peers share their personal stories?”

Nicolaou is also a founding member of the Teachers Interest Group, a coalition

“Dr. Nicolaou spends a lot of time thinking about having very engaging, interesting, research infused lectures,” Parsons, a close friend and colleague of Nicolaou’s, continued. “Her [lecture] slides are just unparalleled. Whenever she comes and does a guest talk in one of my classes … I know that my slides are going to be embarrassing next to hers because hers are so spectacular.”

Parsons has worked alongside Nicolaou since she was first appointed. Over the years, they bonded over their shared experiences with motherhood and at campus events like Pancakes for Parkinsons and Camp Kesem. Parsons said she admires how Nicolaou can prioritize her husband and three kids while also caring deeply for her students.

“She seems to be able to be available to students in ways that I think is just phenomenal,” Parsons said. “I have never heard a student complain that they had trouble getting a hold of her … I think that is uniquely something fantastic about Colette.”

COURTESY COLETTE NICOLAOU

See 1-Across

Simple rhyme scheme

“Autumn leaves fallin’ down like pieces ___ place,” lyric from 10-minute song

Where you could bid on a 1874 leather shoe

She’s always listening

Prickly plants, or Travis Scott’s drink

Fleeting variable

Song with lyric “Cause I can’t help it if you look like an angel”

You might find it fried at the rodeo

Talks and talks and talks and talks Distant, or completion of lyrics

“You’re the kind of reckless that should send me runnin’ / But I kinda know that I won’t get ___” Road annoyances

Song with lyrics “Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room”

Usain Bolt’s shoes

Luis Vatans, Michelle Koars, Gucki, etc.

Soul Night hosts, for short “I’ll get older, but your lovers ____ my age”

Damp

“No one wanted to play with __ __ a little kid,” lyric to 50-Across SAT alternative, or completion of lyric “So in love that you ___ insane”

Gross, or completion of “Blank Space” lyric “Or with a _____ scar” “____ _-boo!”

“Where all the poets went to die”

1980s R&B singer _____ Marie known for “Lovergirl”

Repeated word in beer pong starter

“_ ___ guys like you for breakfast!”

Punch lines?

Song with lyrics “I laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork / The dominoes cascaded in a line”

What was stuck up your nose every week in the 2020-2021 school year

Lesbian talk show host One-named Irish singer “It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-____”

Yours and mine, or title of a track on album “Speak Now”

All over again, or completion of lyric “It’s _ ___ soundtrack, I could dance to this beat, beat forevermore”

They go marching one by one

Where you may get a cute custom gift for your girlfriend

Undecided

DOWN

Bad cut

Off-Broadway award

Three-time All-Star pitcher Frank or NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Yale

“I see the great escape, so long, _____ ___ / I picked the petals, he loves me not,” “You’re On Your Own Kid” lyrics

Curling targets?

What Elle Woods does after bending Engrave

Shower attention (on)

“I know you are but what am I,” e.g. Target of drunken call, hopefully Similar, or completion of 50-Across lyric “And all the stars aligned / You and I ended up in the _____ room”

Prefix with glycemic How basketball hoop heights are measured

Opens a keg

“Clear eyes, soft skin, eat ___!”

Masc

“That one’s on _ ____” (how you might blame a friend in Australia, in brief)

Gives up “____-daisy!”

“_ ____ under scrutiny (Yeah, oh, yeah),” lyric to 38-Down

Japanese four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi

46

47 opening phrase for “Lavender Haze”

Your vote in a cab meeting if you don’t want to allow 9 in a Baker suite

Type of phone in iCarly, Drake and Josh, Victorious, and Zoey 101 Sappho’s island Weensy’s partner Repetitions for a COMP major, in brief Org. that wouldn’t like seeing an employee standing on three chairs stacked on top of 48

Magisterial matters: a look back at renaming

EMELIA GAUCH & SHRUTI PATANKAR THRESHER STAFF & ASST. FEATURES EDITOR

From wearing jackets that advertise their colleges to disciplining students when their checks bounced, magisters have had a myriad of responsibilities throughout the years. The 2017 change of their title from masters to magisters reflected a debate about whether their once-title, reminiscent of slavery’s use of the term master, correctly captured the essence of those responsibilities.

Rice’s use of the word “master” was inspired by its use at Yale and Harvard, who in turn borrowed the

term from Oxford and Cambridge. The term originates as a shortened version of “headmaster” or “schoolmaster.”

Rice incorporated the term in 1956, when the residential college system was established.

With dialogues shifting regarding systemic racism in the 2000s and 2010s, the term “master” and its use in higher education began to gain more attention.

John Hutchinson, now a professor of chemistry, served as dean of undergraduates at the time of the renaming. Hutchinson highlighted the relationship between the word “master” and the legal institution of human chattel slavery in the US.

“Once you start hearing it in that

context, you can’t unhear it … The sense that it needed to change was imminent,” Hutchinson said.

The conversation around changing the role’s name at Rice began in the fall of 2015, around the same time that other institutions like Harvard, Princeton and Yale were having similar dialogues. Princeton officially announced that they would be changing the name of the position from “master” to “head of College” in Nov. 2015. Harvard and Yale announced changes in the months following, using the terms “faculty dean” and “head of College” respectively.

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

55 each other

“Wedding Crashers” actor Wilson Wind breaker?

Skin cooler

Hussy, or completion of lyrics “If they call me a ____ / You know, it might be worth it for once”

“I’ll be there __ __ time!”

What you could briefly call Taylor Swift

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Staley

VIVIAN LANG / THRESHER

Female-directed films to look out for in 2024

Female filmmakers have been innovating since the era of silent film in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, the 1934 establishment of the Hays Code — a set of guidelines for Hollywood films from the 1930s to 1960s that censored content deemed offensive — played a major role in stifling women’s creative say in the film industry. With Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” becoming the highestgrossing film in the states and worldwide, 2023 was a landmark year for female directors in Hollywood and signifies an ever-changing landscape of female film direction. In honor of Women’s History Month, here are some new or upcoming female-directed films that represent the variety, innovation and artistic verve that women have imbued into the film canon.

“Bird,” Andrea Arnold

Andrea Arnold, the filmmaker behind the indie coming-of-age tales “Fish Tank” and “American Honey,” is back this year with “Bird,” which promises to be exciting after lead actor Barry Keoghan dropped

out of “Gladiator 2” to star in Arnold’s film instead. Starring Keoghan and last year’s critics’ favorite Franz Rogowski (for his role in “Passages”), “Bird” features the highest-profile cast of Arnold’s career. While plot details remain unknown, expect a quietly powerful and deeply realistic slice of life drama — Arnold’s bread and butter.

“Flint Strong,” Rachel Morrison

Directed by Rachel Morrison, the first female director of photography to receive an Oscar nomination for best cinematography, and written by Barry Jenkins, the director of the modern classic “Moonlight,” “Flint Strong” has impressive pedigree. Morrison’s directorial debut will follow Claressa Shields, a boxer who dreams of becoming the first woman in American history to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport. Ryan Destiny stars as Shields and is joined by Brian Tyree Henry, who may receive his second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Shields’ coach.

“Emmanuelle,” Audrey Diwan

Audrey Diwan won the Golden Lion,

Kacey Musgraves is one of the most innovative singer-songwriters within the country genre, a quality that’s been evident since she released her debut album, “Same Trailer, Different Park,” 11 years ago. Musgraves’s latest record, “Deeper Well,” melds the star’s signature country stylings with folk, resulting in a stellar collection of 14 tracks that are packed with thoughtfulness and nostalgia.

“Deeper Well” is a stylistic 180-degreeturn from “star-crossed,” Musgraves’s previous 2021 album. “Deeper Well” is also just a year removed from her divorce from fellow country singer-songwriter

Ruston Kelly — where “star-crossed” is pop-inspired, “Deeper Well” is mellow. In subject matter, it’s a return to “Golden Hour,” an album about the glow of a happy relationship. If “star-crossed” is about when that glow goes away, “Deeper Well” is about being comfortable with being your own light. The lyrics of “Deeper Well” invite further reflection, but do not demand it — all of the tracks in the album are easy listening, except for “Anime Eyes” and its tempo shifts. After all, “Deeper Well” is about making the choices that are best for your own peace and making space for yourself.

the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, for her last feature, the abortion drama “Happening.” Her newest film stars Noemie Merlant, of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” fame and is based on a novel by Emmanuelle Arsan of the same name, a classic French erotica. Expect another acclaimed drama from this exciting upand-comer.

“Polaris,” Lynne Ramsay

From bleak realist dramas like “Ratcatcher” and “Morvern Callar” to intense psychological thrillers like “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and “You Were Never Really Here,” Lynne Ramsay is a filmmaker that rises above easy categorization. Her newest project stars Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara in a tale that follows an ice photographer who encounters the devil in 1890s Alaska.

“Nightbitch,” Marielle Heller

Having mastered the character-driven drama with “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” director Marielle Heller has now turned her sights to the horror-comedy genre. Amy Adams stars as a stay-at-home mom that sees her maternal instincts turn canine. With an exciting conceit and one of the best actresses working today in tow, Heller’s newest promises to be scary fun.

“I Saw the TV Glow,” Jane Schoenbrun

Another Sundance breakout, “I Saw the TV Glow” was one of the most buzzedabout films at this year’s festival. With distribution from A24, two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone as a producer and indie rocker Alex G on the score, this film has a lot that might pique one’s interest. With “I Saw the TV Glow” and her previous film “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” director Jane Schoenbrun has proved herself to be adept at meshing psychological horror with the theme of humanity’s relationship with technology.

Review: Waxahatchee gives all growl, no bite in ‘Tigers Blood’

Listeners can sit down and analyze verses and motifs, or just play it in the background while studying.

“Cardinal” is a textbook example of this, as well as the top track of the album. The first track of the album, it expertly mixes sweet vocals and smooth instrumentals with messages about grief and loss. Reading into the lyrics, it’s a story about death and what may or may not lay beyond. If you just put it on for some ambience, then it’s chill folk-country to write an essay to.

Many other tracks in the album are worth a mention. “The Architect” brims with existential questions, with a mood meandering between dread and hope, under the disguise of soothing acoustic guitar. “Dinner with Friends” is, as Musgraves describes it, “about what I would miss from the other side”: a sobering concept presented in breathy vocals. “Lonely Millionaire” freshens up the classic country “money can’t buy happiness” moral with a smooth melody, harmoniously blending electric and acoustic guitar.

“Deeper Well” is another solid entry in Musgraves’ discography, and at just shy of 45 minutes, not a large time investment to experience in its entirety. Its combination of melodic instrumentals and surprisingly deep lyrics makes Musgraves’s

Indie darling Waxahatchee first earned her country stripes on “Saint Cloud,” a resounding critical favorite of 2020. Her sixth studio album, “Tigers Blood,” fixes up new folktales of heartbreak in the same genre-defying signature.

Waxahatchee, born Katie Crutchfield, shares credits on “Tigers Blood” with Brad Cook, producer of “Saint Cloud” and frequent collaborator with the likes of Bon Iver and Indigo de Souza. As Cook and Crutchfield play it safe in their alt-country twang, “Tigers Blood” lands like a tame imitation of the duo’s best work.

“3 Sisters” opens with a whimper. Crutchfield weeps vague notes of “hopeless prayer” and “a busted truck in Opelika,” flirting with the motif of small-town ties. But planted in its looping melancholy and sappy piano, the track stalls.

In “Evil Spawn” and “Ice Cold,” Crutchfield makes anthems out of her sharp lyricism. The marching beat of “Evil Spawn” emboldens verses like “you let me fill every room / wax poetic and presume.”

The didactic countryside images of “Ice Cold” weave a playful melody from Crutchfield’s wails. Singing out “Jesus loves you,” Crutchfield calls upon billboard sightings and dwindling love as landmarks of Southern life.

The heart of the album rests in its sweet duets, both featuring MJ Lenderman. Lead single “Right Back to It” is a clear standout. The track pairs warm, rich harmonies with a dancing banjo line and roots itself in the narrative and melodic voices of two lovers.

“Burns Out At Midnight” continues to detail their goodbye, a flame dying to harmonica whispers and confessions like, “If my heart of stone weighs on you heavy, babe / Just hit the lights and call it a night.”

With rock instrumentals and fiery vocals, “Bored” teases Crutchfield’s distinct bite. But the shallow, whiny refrain of “I get bored” brings the track down. Lyrical lapses continue to eclipse the magnetic, conversational rhythms of “Lone Star Lake” and “Crimes of the Heart,” which stumbles in lines like “You play the villain like a violin.”

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

HANNAH SON THRESHER STAFF

Top Track: ‘Right Back to It’

ARMAN SAXENA ASST. A&E EDITOR

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

Review: Matt Champion navigates love

ANDREA PLASCENCIA THRESHER STAFF

The end of the “best boy band since One Direction” (i.e. BROCKHAMPTON) was especially sad for the insufferable people who spammed their songs in high school, but equally exciting as it inevitably presented the opportunity for solo projects. Among the prospective solo projects, perhaps the most exciting — for me, anyway — was that of the formercollective member, Matt Champion.

In terms of solo projects, Champion had been radio-silent since the release of his 2017 single, “Fangs.” But the singer has finally stepped into the limelight with the release of his 13-track debut album “Mika’s Laundry,” released March 22. The album announcement coincided with the release of “Slow Motion,” the third single off the record, on March 8.

What got the “Mika’s Laundry” ball rolling was the release of the lead single, “Aphid,” which features Dijon.

Coincidentally released on the same day as Champion’s birthday (which inof-itself could be seen as a metaphor for the album’s overarching theme), “Aphid” alludes to a freaky Catholic girl (in disguise) who doubles as a writer in distress. The song quite literally begins with Dijon (and later, Champion) posing a question: “Can you say hallelujah for me, so I know you wild?” Despite the freakyCatholic-girl thing, the song is an upbeat, tender reminder that, yes, your significant other will love you even when you have “messy hair and baggy eyes.”

If the album had to be assigned a color, surely it would be green. I say this not because I have synesthesia, but because the first track off the record has the same name — and because it seems fitting given the album’s themes of love and growing in and out of relationships. “Green” begins with a funky/creaky-voiced Champion chanting the phrase “Alabama blue” and plunges into a 3-minute tale about a shy girl and Champion’s inability to understand “how

Review: ‘TYLA’ is a refreshing, self-assured debut

ASHLEY WANG THRESHER STAFF

At 22 years old, singer Tyla has already seen a level of success most musicians can only dream of. In the past year, she’s had her viral, platinum-certified hit “Water” top the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, collaborated with Travis Scott and Summer Walker and won the first-ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance.

Tyla’s self-titled debut album shows she’s trying to climb the musical ranks even higher. On “TYLA,” the singer introduces herself to the world through a gorgeous intermixing of amapiano (a South African subgenre of house music), R&B and pop, topped off with silkysmooth vocals.

Months out from its initial release, “Water” is just as addicting as ever. The song first received attention on TikTok last August from its dance challenge, where users imitated Tyla’s performance of its energetic, Bacardi-inspired choreography onstage, complete with her pouring water down her back. “Water” is now sitting at half a million Spotify streams, and it’s easy to see why. The floating synth that opens the song, Tyla’s sweet, sensual delivery of every line and the log drums that feel like they’re bubbling up all culminate in a chorus that’s just begging to be sung along to.

A recurring theme on “TYLA” is prioritizing yourself over a relationship that’s more give than take, as expressed on the sonically bold “Safer” and the more laid-back, warm “Truth Or Dare.” But perhaps the song that conveys this message best is “No.1,” a standout track with fellow hitmaker and vocalist Tems.

On “No.1,” featuring Tems, Tyla shifts into a slightly huskier tone and a lower range of her voice. Tems’ aching verse precedes a velvety duet with Tyla in the second chorus. It’s a pitch-perfect collaboration, resulting in a song that is at once both danceable and vulnerable.

Following “Breathe Me,” which is captivating despite its questionable use of strings, “Butterflies” is a

and other

intimacies in ‘Mika’s Laundry’

she feel[s].” The ending is sweet and twinkly, like sounds from a baby mobile.

High on my list of contenders for favorite song off “Mika’s Laundry” has to be the fourth track, “Gbiv.” It feels heavily reminiscent of the trademark chaos that was (rest in peace) BROCKHAMPTON. This song is probably the weakest lyrically but has much to offer audibly. Specifically toward the song’s end (the beat switch, somewhere around the 2-minute mark), concludes with gentle string and piano instrumentals—eventually fading away into the following track “Purify.”

“Purify” is a memorable song about the small intimacies of relationships; the seeing someone in the morning — sleepy-eyed, not quite sure what the other person is thinking, the familiar “jingle of [their] keys” and an overall sense of trust amongst each other. On the other hand, there are songs like “Project” where Champion vocalizes a fear of codependency, pleading with his lover not to be reliant on him, despite that he very much does rely on her. It is somber and longing but committed to exhibiting the many complexities of being in a longterm relationship.

misplaced break in momentum. Tyla’s breathy delivery over a glittering guitar line creates an ethereal feel, but the song sounds more like a forgettable album closer than anything else.

“Jump,” a collaboration with rapper Gunna and dancehall artist Skillibeng, is bursting with confidence. “They never had a pretty girl from Joburg / See me now, and that’s what they prefer,” Tyla opens. In the chorus, Tyla hits each syllable with clarity and a staccato precision. For anyone concerned that the album is too sonically similar and is starting to bleed together at this point, “Jump” jolts listeners awake, inviting them to the dancefloor.

On “ART,” the certainty of Tyla’s vocals just barely saves the song from the triteness of an extended metaphor comparing her to a work of art. This track employs all the Tyla hallmarks, with log drum hits over airy synth lines and stacked vocals in the chorus emulating a crowd — somehow, it all still works and doesn’t feel too formulaic.

“To Last” is an enchantingly intimate track. Tyla draws us in with whispery vocals, leading into a chorus of circling synths, echoes of her own voice and a bouncing beat that almost has a melody of its own.

Some tracks may be more memorable than others, but “TYLA” is consistently unapologetic. For a debut, it’s also remarkably controlled: its mix of genres and collaborators never feels forced, and Tyla adjusts her vocals to each song perfectly. “TYLA” is a statement debut album from an artist who’s unafraid to take on the global music industry.

In its entirety, “Mika’s Laundry” is a fantastic debut album that illustrates Champion’s ability to explore and incorporate various sounds and styles and singling him out as an artist to watch. My singular qualm with this album is that in spite of containing a total of 13 tracks, the album’s duration is a mere 33 minutes. My naiveté tells me that perhaps this means we’ll get new music again soon, but perhaps that’s wishful thinking.

Review: On ‘Bright Future,’ Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker remains powerfully optimistic

ARMAN SAXENA ASST. A&E EDITOR

While indie folk-indie rock group Big Thief has consistently dropped passionately bittersweet and critically acclaimed work since their 2016 debut “Masterpiece,” the band reached their career high in 2022 with “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You,” which stands as one of the most celebrated albums of the decade so far. Adrianne Lenker, Big Thief’s lead vocalist, has had no shortage of success herself, with her previous album “Songs” appearing in the yearend top 10 albums list of many major publications. While Big Thief tracks like “Not” and “Little Things” can be noisy and dense, Lenker’s solo work is reliably soothing yet simultaneously heartbreaking. With her newest project “Bright Future,” Lenker harkens back to her country roots and delivers the most Americanainfluenced album of her solo career since her debut. While recent works from artists like Mitski, Ethel Cain, Zach Bryan and even Big Thief have prominently incorporated Americana’s blend of American folk and country, “Bright Future” distinguishes itself by being stunningly honest, remarkably soothing and poetic.

Lenker opens “Bright Future” with the just-under six minute track “Real House.” The longest song on the album, “Real House” introduces the project’s soft and meditative soundscapes. Lyrically, the song also introduces the listener to Lenker’s melancholic and deeply personal songwriting, illustrating Lenker’s relationship with death and grief.

The song that follows “Real House,” “Sadness as a Gift,” is an album highlight. Laden with country stylings, “Sadness as a Gift” is a heart-shattering poem of love and longing. On this track, Lenker’s chorus changes in the three times it’s played. After the first verse ends with the lines “Chance has shut her shining eyes / And turned her face away,” Lenker remains optimistic, singing “You could write me someday, and I think you will.” Over the course of the song, the word “think” morphs into “bet” and finally into “hope,” emphasizing Lenker’s steadfast belief in a “bright future,” even in the face of heartbreak and misfortune.

Tracks five and six, “Free Treasure” and “Vampire Empire” are also standouts.

“Free Treasure” is, according to Lenker, “about nature and about the beautiful, pleasant things that are simply part of life for free.” The song revels in the beauty of commonplace things, like exploration, dancing and conversation, that are often underappreciated in one’s life. Fans of Big Thief will recognize the song “Vampire Empire,” and Lenker’s raw reimagining does not disappoint.

While the album’s songwriting and instrumentation does lose some inspiration on later tracks like “Candleflame” and “Cell Phone Says,” Lenker finishes strong with the record’s closer and lead single “Ruined,” another heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful tearjerker that distinguishes itself with atmospheric ambience that adds cutting power to Lenker’s raw lyrics.

On “Bright Future,” Lenker is predictably tender and has clearly mastered writing the acoustic folk ballad. Her trademark lyrical nuance is on full display and is reliably supplemented by acoustic guitar work that never fails to captivate. For an artist as consistently honest as Lenker, it’s impossible to say “Bright Future” is her most personal work, but her latest project does stand as a return to roots that hits hard with its emotional and musical maturity.

Top Track: ‘Sadness as a Gift’

Top Track: ‘Jump’

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COURTESY RCA RECORDS

Top Track: ‘Project’

Rob Lanier named men’s basketball head coach, replaces Pera

ANDERSEN PICKARD ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Less than two weeks after parting ways with head coach Scott Pera, Rice Athletics announced they have hired Rob Lanier as the program’s 26th head coach.

Lanier was previously the head basketball coach at Southern Methodist University, a position he was dismissed from six days ago, on March 21. He was officially introduced at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Lanier will now oversee the growth of a Rice basketball program that finished last during its inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference. Under Pera, the Owls were 11-21 (5-13 in AAC). The program also saw five players, including All-AAC freshman forward Keanu Dawes, enter the transfer portal following Pera’s dismissal. Other players interested in playing elsewhere next season include sophomore guard Mekhi Mason, sophomore center Andrew Akuchie, junior guard Cameron Sheffield and freshman guard Camp Wagner, who have all announced their plans to enter the transfer portal.

“President DesRoches and the Board of Trustees have shown a great desire for this program to take its place among the best in the AAC and agreed with my assessment that a coaching change was the appropriate step towards reaching that goal,” athletic director Tommy McClelland said in a press release announcing Pera’s dismissal on March 14.

At the press conference, McClelland said he and his search committee had a “methodical, very detailed process” to find Pera’s replacement. “We met with a number of accomplished coaches with experience expanding impressive major college programs and even the NBA,” he said.

“One thing became very clear to me during these conversations: Rob Lanier was the right fit, the right person, the right coach and the right visionary leader we had been looking for from the very beginning,” McClelland said, citing leadership, intensity, experience and Texan ties as attributes he sought in the program’s next head coach.

Lanier has more than 30 years of experience coaching basketball in the NCAA, including stints as head coach at Siena College, Georgia State University and the aforementioned SMU. He owns an alltime record of 141-135 (0.511) with two trips to the NCAA Tournament, but his teams never advanced beyond the Round of 64. He also has experience as an assistant coach at Power 5 schools such as the University of Texas, the University of Virginia, the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee.

In his second and final season at SMU, Lanier led the Mustangs to a 20-13 record, and their 11-7 conference record ranked sixth among 14 teams in the AAC. That final record included a 95-69 victory over Rice at Tudor Fieldhouse on Feb. 7.

Chris Kreider, who worked for Pera at Rice from 2017 to 2019, has spent the last five years coaching under Lanier at Georgia State and SMU. He confirmed to the Thresher that he will be making his return to Rice as one of several SMU assistants following Lanier to South Main. Lanier’s exact coaching staff has not yet been finalized.

Rice’s preparations for a bounce-back season next year will begin immediately. His tasks include fortifying a roster that lost several players following Pera’s departure. Lanier and Kreider both emphasized the importance of allowing the outgoing transfers to explore their options.

Upon “becoming available,” Lanier drew interest from several teams, including one Power 5 school, according to McClelland. Upon his wife’s suggestion, Lanier directed his agent to contact Rice about their vacancy. Lanier and McClelland spoke for roughly 45 minutes over the phone Saturday, then met for more than six hours at Lanier’s house Sunday.

“It’s a high standard. We’re asking a lot of you,” Lanier said of his new players at Rice. “If you’ve bought in, you’re one of us. If you’re not about that, we’re going to help you move on because you don’t fit.”

Rice intends to offset potential subtractions by recruiting players with high athletic and academic aspirations. “You want [potential recruits] to aspire to something beyond athletics,” Lanier said. When you commit to Rice, you’ve already done that, you’ve already thought beyond athletics. There’s enough highly competitive people who want to be successful after they’re done playing, but want to be great while they are. We’re going to find them.”

EDITORIAL CARTOON

“[We’ll] give those guys space to go through their process while, at the same time, knowing there’s some urgency to it,” Kreider said. “As soon as we’re official here, we’ll meet with them as a staff and make sure they see the vision clearly.”

“We’re going to recruit nationally because Rice and the academic level allows us to do that,” Kreider added. “Lock down Houston and lock down Texas, but then also nationally and even internationally if that presents itself.”

The Owls have already secured one commitment as Lanier announced that his son, Emory, is transferring from SMU to Rice. The guard, who averaged 3.8 points in 33 games last season, had entered the transfer portal Tuesday morning with a “do not contact” tag, which forbade other schools from recruiting him. Pera himself had attempted to recruit Emory in high school, but he ultimately decided to attend Davidson College before transferring to SMU.

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

Hayon, Dyson make waves at NCAA Championships

Junior Arielle Hayon and sophomore Ella Dyson represented the Rice swim team at the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga., this past week from March 20-23. The two swimmers competed in five events.

This year was the first time since 2006 that Rice had multiple competitors qualify for individual events at the NCAA Championships.

Dyson and Hayon both hit the water on Thursday, March 22, as Dyson raced in the 500-yard freestyle and Hayon in the 200-yard individual medley. Over the following two days, Hayon also competed in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly while Dyson rounded out the week in the 1,650yard freestyle.

The Owls’ best performance came from Hayon, whose time of 52.06 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly placed 34th out of 58 competitors and represented her highestever finish at the NCAA Championships. This was her second career appearance at the event.

Dyson also finished the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:18.01, setting a new personal best in her NCAA Championships debut.

“I was super proud to represent Rice

on a national level and was really excited to be racing against teams I haven’t been able to compete against in the regular season,” Dyson said. “I was happy with how I swam. It was a great opportunity for me to practice my race strategy and learn from it for next time.”

Neither Dyson nor Hayon qualified for the finals in any event, but head coach Seth Huston was still proud of the swimmers for representing Rice.

“What an honor for Ella [Dyson] and Arielle [Hayon] to earn an invite to the NCAA Championships,” Huston said. “They competed well and learned a lot. The best thing moving forward is they can bring that experience back to the team and make others better around them.”

“It was a lot of fun attending with Arielle,” Dyson said. “It was my first time attending so it was really nice going with someone who had been before.”

With the arrival of a new diving team next season, the Owls will be able to earn both swimming and diving points.

“Year after year, our swimmers have produced championship-caliber results and countless event champions, but the lack of diving points has prevented them from standing at the top of the podium as a team,” athletic director Tommy McClelland previously said in a press release.

Since that announcement, Rice conducted an extensive search for its new diving coach and ultimately settled on Gabi Chereches, hiring him from The Woodlands Diving Academy. Chereches will join swimming head coach Seth Huston in preparation for next season.

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Sophomore Ella Dyson swims at a swim meet last year. Dyson and Hayon participated in the NCAA swim championships this past weekend, representing Rice at the competition for the first time since 2006.

Although the addition of a diving team will go a long way toward improving the Owls’ chances moving forward, Huston and the Owls will have to overcome the loss of seniors Lauren Brantley, Mimi Filkin, Briana Gellineau, Lauren Hurt, Imogen Meers, Elizabeth Myers and Hunter Smith.

In an attempt to weather this storm, the Owls recruited incoming freshmen Ava Casperson, Reese Cole, Jessica Lawton and Ava Portello. Rice’s 2024 competitive schedule is expected to start in October.

HONG LIN TSAI / THRESHER

Men’s and Women’s T&F finish strongly at Victor Lopez Classic

DIEGO PALOS RODRIGUEZ ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Last weekend, the women’s track and field team hosted the 41st Victor Lopez Classic track meet at Rice’s own Wendel D. Ley Track. Following the high school division of the competition, the men’s and women’s collegiate track teams started their events on Friday, March 22, and competed through March 23. The Rice men’s team posted 14 podium finishes with four event titles while the women’s squad finished the meet with 12 top-three performances and another four event titles.

On the men’s side, junior Andrew

Murray led the way with a 1,500-meter sweep for the Owls, followed by sophomore Gus Gannon and senior Elliot Metcalf. Murray credited teamwork and preparedness for the Owls’ 1-2-3 finish.

“The strategy was to just run fast; we knew we were ready to run a great performance, and everything sort of fell into place,” Murray said. “I must give a huge shoutout to [sophomore] Jackson Moran who was pacing us for the first 800 meters. His job was to run the first 800 in 2:00 and he did just that. We’re training with each other every single day, pushing each other to the limit, so when it’s time to race we know we’re not in it alone. This friendly competition,

along with wanting to run fast, is really what led us to a podium sweep and a personal best for each of us.”

The result was also a long time coming for Murray, who competed in the Victor Lopez Classic when he was in high school.

“Winning this race has been a dream of mine for a long time, more than I can put into words,” Murray said. “I competed at this meet in high school and was never good enough to win it, and the past three years I’ve had to watch from the sidelines due to injury. The crowd was electric and racing in front of my family and teammates is what pushed me the most. I absolutely love

my team and representing Rice, so this is definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

The Owls achieved another longdistance sweep in the 10,000 meters, with sophomore Ben Tijerina, junior Wesley Wright, and sophomore Filippo Aldrovandi placing 1-2-3, respectively.

Other notable finishers include Gannon’s first-place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, a third-place finish in the 4x400 meter relay, and a first and third-place finish in the hammer throw by senior Shaun Kerry and junior Cal Abdulky, respectively.

On the women’s side, graduate student Kennedy Gamble placed first in the 100-meter dash and third in the 200-meter dash. Freshman Alex Gobran had a notable performance at her first outdoor collegiate race, placing first in the 5,000 meters race. Senior Morgan Fey won the discus throw and placed fourth in the shot put.

Sophomore Alice Taylor jumped to the top of the podium in the high jump event with a 1.83-meter jump. With that finish, Taylor broke the Rice women’s high jump record, taking the feat from her older sister, junior Josie Taylor, who broke the record last year.

Both the men’s and women’s teams head to Austin later this week to compete in the 96th edition of the Texas Relays, one of the largest track meets in the country. According to Kerry, while preparation differs between track meets, the team’s main goal comes later in the season at the conference meet.

“Most of the [throwing] group is taking Texas Relays off, but preparation for A&M [Invite next week] won’t look much different compared to previous weeks,” Kerry said. “As much as it is a big competition and a chance to throw far, our aims are always to perform well at conference and in the post-season, so our training is always tailored to peak for those competitions, and everything we can do well along the way is a bonus.”

UFL Roughnecks discount tickets for Rice students, faculty

ANDERSEN PICKARD ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

The Houston Roughnecks, one of eight teams in the newly-merged United Football League, begin their inaugural season at Rice Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Standard tickets start at $22 for the public but are available for university students and faculty at $10.

Discounted tickets are available for Sections 101, 102 and 106 at Rice Stadium. An additional service fee of $1.72 per ticket will be added to the base charge.

Students and faculty can purchase discounted tickets for all five home games, including Sunday’s 2 p.m. clash with the Memphis Showboats, at shorturl. at/fgozV.

The Roughnecks offered discounted tickets to “show our gratitude for our new home,” according to their FEVO ticket

WBB

run to an AAC tournament title and berth to the NCAA Tournament will likely have lasting effects with so many players returning.

“Remember this feeling,” Edmonds said to her team in the locker room. “Remember what it felt like to get here, but next year we want to go further. We want to go a step further.”

Next year, Edmonds’ goal is for the Owls to enter the NCAA Tournament

page. They are the only team in the UFL scheduled to play home games at a university-associated stadium.

The UFL is the product of a merger between the XFL and the United States Football League. The two leagues joined forces in December after competing for players, sponsorship, television rights and regional markets for several years. Their mission focuses on “showcasing high-potential professional players in a vibrant, fan-friendly environment.”

“We’re going to build an exciting atmosphere at Rice Stadium, one that is worthy of Roughneck nation and its most passionate fans,” head coach CJ Johnson previously said in a statement through Rice Athletics. “I hope all Houstonians will join us for an incredible season of spring football at Rice.”

Despite optimism from within the Roughnecks organization, football

with a higher seed. Less than an hour after the Owls lost to LSU, Edmonds said that summer workouts and preseason will be harder for the 2024-25 season.

“We’ve already started talking about that and I think everybody’s going to be hungry to get back,” Edmonds said. “We are losing a big piece with [Destiny Jackson], but we have everybody else coming back and we signed a great freshman class as well. Excited for what the year can look like.”

Jackson, Rice’s leading scorer, graduates in May, but the rest of Friday’s

pundits are mostly critical of the team heading into the 2024 season. UFL analyst Jake Tribbey of FantasyPoints.com listed the Roughnecks last in his preseason power rankings, and FanDuel has them as the least likely team to win the 2024 championship with +1300 odds.

The Roughnecks have four Texas natives on their roster, including defensive end Isaiah Chambers from Houston. The team is led by quarterback Jarrett Guarantano who was named the starter over Reid Sinnett and Nolan Henderson on March 20. “It was a great competition all camp long,” Johnson said. “One day it was Nolan, one day it was Jarrett, one day it was Reid. In the end, the body of work that Jarrett put forth, I think he deserves to start.”

Guarantano was a standout at the University of Tennessee before transferring to Washington State University for his

starting lineup were juniors, including Fisher, Sussy Ngulefac, Emily Klaczek and Trinity Gooden.

Ngulefac, a center who transferred this season from Samford University, played against LSU as a freshman. In her first game against the Tigers, Ngulefac led Samford with 18 points. In Friday’s game against LSU, Ngulefac scored 10.

“[Ngulefac] came in with the right mindset already knowing that she could hang with them and play with them,” Fisher said. “I think she rubbed off a lot on us. Her abilities are unmatched

final collegiate season. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and had stints with the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos, but he never played in a regular-season game. Neither Sinnett nor Henderson, both undrafted free agents, have played a snap in the NFL, either.

Johnson hinted at the possibility of the Roughnecks using multiple quarterbacks early in the season, perhaps as soon as Week 1. “Whoever’s the backup, we’re going to play him, too,” he said. “We’re going to play both of them. You’ll see them in the first game, second quarter, third series, something like that.”

While members of the Rice community can enter the stadium at a discounted rate, they can also watch the Roughnecks on television. UFL games will air live on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and FOX or FS1 this season. Sunday’s season-opening game can be found on ESPN.

and playing with her and for her it just makes me go even harder. I’m so proud to call her my teammate.”

Edmonds continues to build her teams to compete further than the year before, and while LSU ended Rice’s 2024 season, Edmonds and Rice are already planning for next year’s.

“We definitely made a statement,” Ngulefac said. “A lot of people thought we weren’t going to be able to hang on, so I think we’re proud, everyone’s proud, and I’m really proud of this team.”

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Sophomore Ben Tijerina runs during this past weekend’s Victor Lopez Classic track met. Tijerina placed first in the 10,000 meters event on his way to win the Men’s Track Athlete of the Week award

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