New art opens behind Brochstein’s closed doors
A&E
The morning after a terrible storm, inspiration struck Karyn Olivier on her commute to work. In a North Philadelphia neighborhood she had driven through countless times before, a huge swath of vines and ivy had been peeled off of a concrete wall by the rain and wind, crumpling forlornly over an adjacent fence. Olivier stopped her car and took a photograph.
That photograph, titled “Revelation,” will be on view at Brochstein Pavilion until August 2025. “Revelation” is this academic year’s “Off the Wall” installation, an ongoing partnership between the Moody Center for the Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston’s Glassell School of Art. Olivier’s installation was revealed with a reception at the pavilion Sept. 27. The counter area remained sectioned off for construction. Despite the exhibit’s opening, Brochstein is still not open for student use, according to Beth Leaver, senior executive director of Housing and Dining.
“We do not have an official date yet, but we are close and will be prepared to make a formal announcement soon,” Leaver wrote in an email to the Thresher.
Frauke Josenhaus, a curator at the Moody, said that despite the pavilion’s delayed opening, the Moody Center chose to continue with Olivier’s “Off the Wall” installation as planned.
“We decided to move forward … out of respect for the busy schedule of the artist but also knowing that the work would
be visible,” Josenhaus wrote in an email to the Thresher. “The open architecture of the Brochstein Pavilion allows for the work to be seen from outside while the cafe is still closed.”
Olivier, like previous artists, was selected from the Glassell School’s Core Residency program alumni.
“This is now the sixth iteration of the ‘Off the Wall’ series, and each artist really brings a different vision to the wall,” Josenhaus, who organized this year’s commission, said. “We always try to find an artist who has this ability to conceive something on a very monumental scale, who is interested in creating something for a very public space and likes a challenge, so [Olivier] has been on our list for a while.”
Olivier’s grounded photography is a sharp contrast to the previous year’s “Off the Wall” installation, an abstract collage of squares by the artist william cordova. According to Josenhaus, the artists are given extensive creative liberty over what they choose to display in the space.
“We knew that [Olivier’s] approach would be very different than [cordova’s],” Josenhaus said. “We had something that was very abstract last year, and this time it’s very figurative and illusionistic … But that’s just the beauty of letting the artist decide what they want to do. It’s an open invitation, and we are always thrilled to discover what the artist comes up with.”
According to Olivier, “Revelation” is rooted in the phenomenon of finding new ways to look at the familiar or mundane.
SEE REVELATION PAGE 8
Senior Spotlight: Abdullah Jahangir captures home and belonging
CHALLA
Through Abdullah Jahangir’s camera lens, a photo isn’t just a still image — it’s a moment in time, dynamic and emotional. Working with film in his freshman photography class prompted him to consider photography as more than just snapshots, but rather a form of self-expression and exploration.
“I like to take pictures of my friends and family, of things I want to document, and of scenes that consciously engage multiple senses of mine at the same time,” Jahangir, a
Wiess College senior, said. “I think that people look a bit differently at the camera when they know who’s behind them, and I like my subjects to have an expression of familiarity.”
Jahangir, who is double majoring in visual and dramatic arts and computer science, hopes to use photography in his senior studio work as an extension of his own perception of the world.
He considers himself a lens-based artist, focusing on film and photography. This year, Jahangir wants to work with cyanotypes, which are vivid blue and white prints created
SEE JAHANGIR PAGE 8
“Revelation,” a photo of the aftermath of a storm, debuted at Brochstein Pavilion Sept. 27. Despite the exhibit’s opening, Brochstein remains closed for construction, with no confirmed opening date yet.
Sophomores debut AI nutrition app Diagnos
Diagnos, an AI-backed nutrition-tracking app, launched in the Apple app store Sept. 24. The app, designed by Ifty Ahmed and Thun Silpsamrit, provides AI-based calorie and nutritional estimates based on users’ pictures of their food. The app also provides nutritional estimates of food on servery menus.
Ahmed and Silpsamrit said they had considered building a health-related app since January. One of their advisors, Roberta Anding, a lecturer of nutrition and health sciences, suggested focusing on nutrition. Ahmed and Silpsamrit began developing the app in June. They worked throughout the summer for as many as 14 hours a day to code the app, Ahmed said.
“It took [such] long, uncomfortable hours,” Ahmed, a Wiess College sophomore, said. “I’m living that life right now, fourteen hours every day on this.”
The team added Maya Zhang, a Jones College
COURTESY ABDULLAH JAHANGIR
Wiess College senior Abdullah Jahangir considers his photography a form of self-exploration, often grappling with loss, belonging and his homeland of Pakistan.
sophomore, in August to focus on business and marketing. Diagnos’s AI works by identifying the size and diameter of the plate and the portion size of each food. It calculates the area, volume and density of each food item to find the associated calories and nutrient values.
“We have some faults in the data, and if we do not consider them, [image recognition] goes to 78% accuracy, which is … higher than a lot of competitors,” Ahmed said. Faulty data included images that were unclear to the AI due to stacked food items.
Ahmed said that the app uses prompts created by the team, which are then combined with other nutrition-tracking technologies and information from Housing and Dining.
“We do prompt engineering by ourselves, which is … the algorithm we made to train the AI,” Ahmed said. “We [use] the technology that provides other companies the nutrition tracking … So we combine both, and we use them to provide people more refined information … We are connected with Housing and Dining and, we collect their information, and use them as a reference in our algorithm, [making it] more accurate.”
SEE DIAGNOS PAGE 2
FRANCESCA NEMATI / THRESHER
ABIGAIL CHIU FOR THE THRESHER
JULIANA LIGHTSEY
EDITOR
SHREYA
SENIOR WRITER
FROM FRONT PAGE DIAGNOS
Ahmed said an advantage of Diagnos is accessibility, especially since their app targets college students.
“We [started] doing the algorithms … but not making users wait five minutes to log their food, which is [where some current technologies are], and also not asking them to pay $20 per month,” Ahmed said.
Silpsamrit, a McMurtry College sophomore, said that while the app includes features such as a weight tracker and a calorie counter, the team also included other metrics such as a Healthy Eating Index score.
“Another unique feature that I’m really proud of is the HEI score, because food is not just a number,” Silpsamrit said. “When you have a plate, it’s not just about how many calories, how many proteins, how many fats, how many carbs … HEI index is a really standardized index [to classify] the food into each category and how healthy [they are].”
“We’re talking with the Wellbeing Center, and they actually referred us to the [Houston] Eating Recovery Center,” Zhang said. “Right now, we’re working on taking off the calorie amounts, because we know that’s a trigger, and seeing that number, a lot of people with disordered eating might feel adverse to the app.”
There are currently calorie and weight trackers that cannot be disabled, but the team said that they are planning for users to be able to toggle off these features.
The AI that gives advice within the Diagnos app is named ‘Dr. Daia.’
“We just think that putting the name doctor there would make it sound reliable,” said Silpsamrit. “We do not claim to have the same degree as a doctor. It’s not coming from us. It’s coming from the AI recommendations.”
The AI evolution is insanely progressing every
day, and we need to find our spot so we can contribute to the change [in] society.
Ifty Ahmed DIAGNOS CO-CREATOR
Zhang said that the HEI tracker sets Diagnos apart from nutrition trackers that only focus on calories.
“[Calorie counting] can make people think that a food they’re eating is bad just because it’s high in calories, but we’re taking a different approach looking at food quality instead,” Zhang explained.
The team has also considered how Diagnos might harm people with disordered eating, Zhang said.
New RWRC directors bring ‘hot girl walks’ to campus SA proposes policy reviews
JAMES CANCELARICH ASST. NEWS EDITOR
The Student Association senate asked the president’s office to review the new demonstration and postering policies with a commission including students Sept. 30. The labor commission also discussed raising the minimum wage of undergraduate student workers from $7.25 an hour, the federal minimum wage, to $15 an hour.
S.RES 05 criticizes revisions to the demonstration and postering policies that went into effect on Aug. 30. Matti Haacke, a resolution coauthor, said that the policies were an administrative overstep and infringed on students’ right to speech.
According to Ahmed, Diagnos has seen success since its launch over a week ago.
“We have over 300 users within the first few weeks of launch,” Ahmed stated. “And our active user numbers are very high too … It’s getting up and up every day.”
The team plans to expand Diagnos to nearby Texas colleges and eventually go national. Ahmed said that they also want to raise revenue by bridging between companies who need data and individuals who can receive personalized products based on that data.
“The AI evolution is insanely progressing every day, and we need to find our spot so we can contribute to the change [in] society,” Ahmed said.
student from an organization actively holding protests. Four positions would be held by members of administration. Additionally, two professors nominated by the SA would also hold positions on the committee.
The labor commission also presented results from student surveys on student worker wages. Oscar Vietor, chair of the labor commission, said the median wage of undergraduate student workers was about $12 an hour.
Our goal is that Rice has enough money to subsidize those issues if the student-run businesses can’t do that without raising prices.
Matti Haacke
VICE-CHAIR
OF SA LABOR COMMISSION
“The demonstration policy and the postering policy do not uphold their own promises. They are both prefaced by saying that they want to uphold student speech,” Haacke, a Sid Richardson College senior, said during the senate meeting. “They want to uphold student safety on campus, they don’t even follow their own prefaces… [so] the senate requests that both these policies be reverted to what they were prior to August 30.”
The proposed commission would include four students, with at least one student from senate and at least one
“[$15 an hour] would be an increase of about $3 on average for all Rice students, and a significant increase for any younger [teaching assistants] or any workers for Rice departments,” Vietor said during the senate meeting.
Matti Haacke, vice-chair of the labor commision, said that their surveys indicate that the majority of the undergraduate population supports an increase in student worker minimum wage. Haacke said that the minimum wage increase would extend to workers of student-run businesses.
“Our goal is that Rice has enough money to subsidize those issues if the student-run businesses can’t do that without raising prices,” Haacke said.
Vietor said that the labor commission is currently circulating a petition for the increase in minimum wage as the first part of their advocacy.
BELLA PACHECO FOR THE THRESHER
With new initiatives like “Hot Girl Walks,” menstrual cups and the revival of a gender-focused zine, the Rice Women’s Resource Center’s new directors say they’re making sure Rice’s women feel supported on campus.
Co-directors Sophia Plumb and Vedha Penmetcha were instated in a special election last April after allegations that the previous directors did not follow updated election procedures.
This fall, the RWRC began holding weekly “Hot Girl Walks” at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Each week, the wellness coordinators invite women to meet at the RWRC for a 45-minute walk through campus, with small breaks at spots like the James Turrell Skyspace and the Betty and Jacob Friedman Holistic Garden.
The purpose is just to kind of get outside, meet some new people and take a brain break. It’s fun because new people show up every time. That’s what’s exciting for me, because I get to see a lot of new faces and talk to different women across campus.
“The RWRC has enormous potential to do even more for our community by expanding its reach and offering even bigger and better opportunities to students,” Plumb, a Baker College senior, said. “I wanted to plan bigger and better events, increase collaboration with external organizations and strengthen our presence in the community.”
Like Plumb, Penmetcha, a Sid Richardson College senior, said she wants to host more events and expand RWRC’s resources.
Helen Citino RWRC WELLNESS COORDINATOR
“The purpose is just to kind of get outside, meet some new people and take a brain break,” Helen Citino, one of the center’s wellness coordinators, said. Citino, a Jones College sophomore, spearheaded the “Hot Girl Walks” initiative. “It’s fun because new people show up every time. That’s what’s exciting for me, because I get to see a lot of new faces and talk to different women across campus.”
I’m excited about having more collaborative largescale events this year, as well as the return of some old events.
“I’m excited about having more collaborative large-scale events this year, as well as the return of some old events as well,” Penmetcha said. “We’re planning to potentially host an open mic event where students can showcase themselves. I’m really excited to incorporate more wellbeing initiatives like offering mental health first aid training and building more relations with the SAFE and Wellbeing offices on campus.”
Vedha Penmetcha RWRC CO-DIRECTOR
Beyond the hot girl walks, the RWRC now offers menstrual cups — flexible, reusable period products — and is reviving its magazine, which hasn’t been printed since 2022. The zine — previously named “Engender” — showcases student artwork themed around femininity and gender. By promoting student artwork frequently, Penmetcha said she hopes to increase the RWRC’s connection with the broader student body.
“By facilitating more crosstalk across coordinator teams and encouraging their amazing ideas, I truly want to increase awareness about the RWRC because of the enormous amount of potential the center has in terms of reaching students and offering a supportive environment,” Penmetcha said.
FAITH ZHANG / THRESHER Student volunteers staff the RWRC. The organization is run by two co-directors who are introducing initiatives, both new and old, this year.
Hidden in plain sight: New wasp species discovered on campus
HOPE YANG THRESHER STAFF
A new wasp species, Chrysonotomyia susbelli, has been identified by a Rice research team in a ZooKeys research paper published Sept. 18, over two years since the discovery of the Valhalla wasp on campus. Chrysonotomyia susbelli is the 18th new species found on campus.
Brendan O’Loughlin, the first author of the paper, made the discovery last May while doing nature photography.
“I noticed that there was this bug that was jittering around on live oak leaves on campus, and it looked like a yellow blur,” O’Loughlin, a Wiess College senior, said.
to name it after the war pig [mascot] instead. It’s kind of a jokey way around having to name it after an oil baron.”
Scott Egan, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and head of the research team, said that O’Loughlin used integrative methods in identifying the species, examining the wasp with morphological, genetic, ecological, geographical and phonological methods.
My freezer in the lab is full of insects: some we know, some we don’t know for sure … and some no one’s ever seen before.
Scott
Egan
PROFESSOR OF ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
“I caught some … and looked under the microscope, and they were these really pretty gold wasps that had these dark markings.”
Chrysonotomyia susbelli is a parasitoid wasp that eats the gall wasps that lay eggs on oak trees, creating small growths known as plant galls. The wasp is just 1 millimeter in length and cannot sting. Its goldenrod hue led to its namesake, susbelli — “pig of war” in Latin.
“The hue is very different from [other species]. It reminded me of the color at Wiess,” O’Loughlin said. “I didn’t want to name it after the college directly, so I decided
Brendan’s great work to be able to at least find the initial interaction.”
Only around 10% of the world’s insects have been identified, according to biosciences professor Evan Siemann. The frequency of insects discovered indicates that most insect species in the world have not been identified yet.
“Brendan combined all of those different factors to exclude all options that led us to say, ‘Yeah, this was likely a new species,’” Egan said.
Egan said his team consulted Mike Gates, a research entomologist at the Smithsonian who specializes in the wasp’s Chalcidoidea superfamily. Former Rice graduate student Pedro Brandão-Dias, who discovered the Valhalla wasp, also co-authored the paper.
According to Egan, this discovery is the first documented case of a Chrysonotomyia wasp attacking a gall wasp in North America. Most Chrysonotomyia wasp species attack herbivores like caterpillars or moths.
“We’ve discovered this interaction that could open up a whole avenue of scientific discovery where there may be many Chrysonotomyia wasps attacking galls across North America, and we don’t even know,” Egan said. “It took our lab and
Fondren unveils fresh technology
SOPHIE GARLICK FOR THE THRESHER
Fondren Library revamped their ‘how-to’ Canvas module and website and soundproofed the audio and photography rooms after student suggestions. Smart locks and preferred name displays are currently under beta testing and could launch as early as January.
Debra Kay Kolah, head of user experience at Fondren, said that the library had tables where students, faculty and staff could offer comments and suggestions for improvements.
were previously located below the browsing tool on the homepage, were moved up for accessibility. One button leads to the research guides. These are organized by academic topics and updated as librarians create new resources for students, including a “guide on supporting grief and loss.”
Fondren’s basement houses the audio studio and the photography studio. Both were renovated to provide professional noise cancellation with no chance of sound bleeding. According to digital media
[Fondren’s Canvas] was a little boring — a lot. We’re
not doing that brain dump anymore.
Debra Kay Kolah FONDREN HEAD OF
“At the beginning of the semester, we had about eight tables up on the first floor of the library,” Kolah said. “We did one with about 34 [contributors] … to think about what changes we needed to do.”
USER EXPERIENCE
With that input, the library made changes that the Rice community felt were important. One common critique was the length of the previous Fondren Canvas module.
“It was a little boring — a lot,” Kolah said. “We’re not doing that brain dump anymore.”
Now, a new 20-minute Fondren 101 video provides a more concise overview. The library’s homepage also received a makeover, including a more conveniently located browsing tool.
“[The browsing tool] is one of my favorite tools that the library subscribes to. I describe it as a lot like academic iTunes, because it links to journals that we own,” Kolah said. “I always tell students, your area of fun may indeed be somebody else’s area of research.”
Links to other resources, which
commons supervisor Ian MellorCrummey, Fondren also offers free audio, photo and video equipment that can be checked out with a Rice ID.
“We have still cameras, video cameras, audio recorders, microphones, tripods, projectors, lighting kits, all sorts of awesome stuff,” Mellor-Crummey said.
Other equipment is also available for students in need of cables and calculators. The library stop and shop, located behind the circulation desk, is stockpiled with items ranging from VGA and HDMI cables to laptop chargers to adapters and TI84 calculators. User Experience, a subbranch of IT, has also started work on potential changes to study room locks.
Sam Turner, UX student researcher, said beta testing for smart locks that will replace physical keys began on Sept. 26. Students with a reservation can scan a QR code for easy access.
Additionally, Turner, a Jones College sophomore, said that UX is working on a project to allow users to input and display their preferred name on their library catalog account.
“There’s actually lots of research into this question about how many species are not described,” Siemann said. “One way people get a sense of that is through how much effort it takes to find a new species. Now, once it gets to the point where it takes increasingly more and more effort to find something new, you think, ‘Okay, we’re probably running out.’ I don’t think we’re there at that point.”
Plant-feeding insects like gall wasps and resulting ecosystems on oak trees is a focus area for Egan’s evolutionary biology lab. Egan’s team is also currently identifying another species from the genus Brasema and has many other potentially unidentified species in their hands.
“My freezer in the lab is full of insects: some we know, some we don’t know for sure … and some no one’s ever seen before,” Egan said.
Egan said that knowing which organisms make up ecosystems is important for conservation efforts.
“If we don’t even know what’s here, how can we conserve it?” Egan said.
COURTESY BRENDAN O’LAUGHLIN
The Chrysonotomyia susbelli wasp feeds on the gall wasps that lay their eggs on Rice’s live oak trees. It was discovered on campus last May.
Rice launches 10-year strategic plan
offer.”
The university launched a new strategic plan that will develop investments in research and teaching over the next decade. The plan, titled “Momentous,” was announced at an Oct. 1 event.
President Reggie DesRoches opened the event with remarks about how the plan aids Rice’s growth ambitions.
“The most important thing that we will do in the next 10 years is to bring the most talented students, faculty and staff to us,” DesRoches said in his speech. “We have ambitions to grow the university more than we’ve ever grown before, and more than any of our peers.”
Provost Amy Dittmar then spoke about strengthening undergraduate and graduate programs over the next decade through Rice’s “personalized approach to education.”
“Through strengthening and integrating academic and co-curricular activities,” Dittmar said. “We will keep and evolve what makes our undergraduate program so special through unique learning experiences and environments that only Rice can
Dittmar also said that the plan was created with input from the Rice community.
“There were a lot of listening sessions, there was a committee that had students and faculty and staff on it,” Dittmar said in an interview with the Thresher. “I think it really is resonating.”
Other speakers at the event included Ramesh Ramamoorthy, the executive vice president for research. He spoke about Rice’s intended investments in “four key drivers … perhaps the biggest problems of our lifetime”: urban communities, sustainable futures, health innovation and responsible artificial intelligence.
“You don’t play a football game with just a quarterback, right?” Ramamoorthy said in an interview with the Thresher. “You need to have the entire team. That was a message today. Each one of [Rice’s schools] is important in different ways.”
Dittmar emphasized Rice’s potential for continued growth.
“I think that there’s just so much more that Rice can do,” Dittmar said. “It’s just got so many strengths.”
COURTESY KATHARINE SHILCUTT
Administrative leaders discussed the next 10 years of Rice’s investments and programs during the Oct. 1 of the university’s new 10-year strategic plan.
VIOLA HSIA ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Owls in Recovery creates a safe space for students
SARAH KNOWLTON NEWS EDITOR
Owls in Recovery, an addiction support group for Rice students, began holding meetings this semester. Erin Timmerberg, the group’s advisor, said that OIR was created due to changes in the university’s alcohol policy.
“After collaborating closely with APAC, their recommendations inspired the creation of a new role within [the Wellbeing and Counseling Center], dedicated to establishing a program that offers a safe space for students interested in recovery and substancefree events,” Timmerberg wrote in an email to the Thresher. “I was hired in the summer to spearhead a program, which is now Owls in Recovery.”
program will work in conjunction with some of APAC’s recommendations, such as performing mandatory assessments on students medically transported due to excessive drinking.
APAC recommended that Wellbeing “resume the Substance Use Task Force and review current substance use educational needs and resources on campus.”
Timmerberg also advises this task force, which she said is focused on advocacy for cultural and political change rather than individual support.
Systemically, there are many barriers to accessible treatment and support, which can make it difficult for people to openly
discuss their struggles.
Erin Timmerberg
WELLBEING ADVISOR AND RECOVERY SPECIALIST
APAC recommended that Wellbeing hire a new advisor to “contribute significantly to the comprehensive alcohol-related presentation material and serve as a tremendous resource for the community” in its final report issued March 2024. The
Timmerberg said that she was personally drawn to the job because of her own experiences with addiction and recovery.
“I’ve seen firsthand the negative effects of addiction, and I recognize that addressing it is complex and requires a multifaceted approach,” Timmerberg wrote. “I have been involved in the substance use treatment community for over six years, beginning as a student in a collegiate recovery program. Experiencing the profound, long-term impact of that resource not only on my life but others
around me was truly transformative.”
Although OIR is focused on Rice students, Timmerberg said that the group has already seen some external interest and hopes to connect with other individuals and resources focused on recovery.
“I believe that making students feel heard and understood — particularly those facing challenges related to substance use — is critical to their overall success and well-being,” Timmerberg wrote. “We’ve also had interest from department leaders and outside collegiate recovery programs who are eager to learn more about our vision and how we can best serve Rice
Alumni team wins big at biomed competition
as much as it sometimes requires.”
The device began as the team’s biomedical engineering capstone project.
A team of Rice bioengineering alumni recently won first place — and $20,000 — in a nationwide biomedical engineering competition, organized by the National Institute of Health.
The team won for their device, UroFlo, a device that addresses continuous bladder irrigation (CBI), often used to treat hematuria, or blood in the urine.
Team member Sahan Prasanna ‘24 said that the device automates the usuallymanual process of monitoring CBI, making it easier for healthcare workers to stay “informed of patient status — even remotely,” Prasanna wrote in an email to the Thresher.
Team member Anushka Agrawal said that they created the device with the help of their faculty advisor, Sabia Abidi, as well as Chester Koh, Sagar Patel and Yong, all urologists at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas’ Children’s hospital.
“For the first few weeks of our capstone, we conducted a lot of background research and all came together with ideas on what we wanted our device to look like,” Agrawal wrote in an email to the Thresher.
The most rewarding part of it for us is seeing how excited urologists are for our solution, and that really drives us to keep pushing the project forward.
Kevin Li UROFLO TEAM MEMBER
Raymond Yong, one of the team’s advisors, said that this device helps healthcare providers track CBI in multiple patients at the same time, often necessary during a busy shift.
“This device will really help alleviate a lot of the issues that we run into when staff are really busy helping out other patients that have critical needs,” Yong said, “and may or may not have time to monitor the irrigations
Team member Archit Chabbi said the they used many of Rice’s facilities, particularly the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, to develop the device.
“Having readily available access to so many tools and resources has played a major part in our quick prototyping and iterating on our design,” Chabbi wrote in an email to the Thresher.
“We’ve really enjoyed working on a project that has real-world applications with the potential to save healthcare workers nights of stress,” fellow team member Kevin Li also wrote to the Thresher. “The most rewarding part of it for us
is seeing how excited urologists are for our solution, and that really drives us to keep pushing the project forward.”
Koh, who is also the executive director of the Southwest-Midwest National Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium, said UroFlo will help aid the pediatric community.
“This is an example of necessary partnerships for engineering and medicine to come together to build their devices, in this case, for an underserved population, which is the pediatric population,” Koh said.
As far as UroFlo’s future, the team says they’re considering bringing UroFlo to the start-up level.
“Since graduating, we’ve spoken to health providers across the country in hopes of bringing our device to market,” team member Richard Chan wrote to the Thresher. “While the future of UroFlo continues to evolve, one thing remains certain: our device has the potential to make a meaningful difference to nurses, urologists and the 600,000 patients who undergo CBI annually, and we’re committed to pursuing every reasonable path forward.”
Team member Robert Heeter said that he looks forward to the future of the device after its competitive success.
“About one year ago, at the beginning of the fall semester, we had no idea how far this project would go and the success we would have in these competitions,” Heeter said. “Seeing our dedication and the support of our peers, faculty and mentors being recognized and rewarded has been incredibly exciting.”
students. As our group continues to grow, I see tremendous opportunities for collaboration and shared learning.”
While a number of students have already begun attending group meetings, Timmerberg said that OIR must still battle stigma against those struggling with addiction.
“Systemically, there are many barriers to accessible treatment and support, which can make it difficult for people to openly discuss their struggles,” Timmerberg wrote. “By fostering a compassionate, nonjudgmental environment, we aim to create a space where students feel safe exploring the support options that best suit them.”
Rice SJP critiques antisemitism
training
MARIA MORKAS MANAGING EDITOR
Administration, staff and faculty participated in a half-day antisemitism awareness training Sept. 13, sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The seminar was led by the Academic Engagement Network, a nonprofit organization that “mobilizes networks of university faculty and administrators to counter antisemitism [and] oppose the denigration of Jewish and Zionist identities,” according to its website.
The workshop is one part of ongoing efforts to educate and engage the campus.
University spokesperson
In a Sept. 26 Instagram post, Rice Students for Justice in Palestine alleged the university was “push[ing] updated Zionist training about ‘antisemitism’ onto faculty and staff.”
“We … see this as an attempt to undermine our work on campus and to promote pro-Israel propaganda at Rice,” SJP wrote.
“The workshop is one part of ongoing efforts to educate and engage the campus on issues related to student belonging, with this session presenting a specific focus on antisemitism within the context of free speech and academic freedom,” a university spokesperson said in a statement to the Thresher.
NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER
VIOLA HSIA ASST. NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY SANTIAGO APARICIO
EDITORIAL
Innovation is good, responsible innovation is great
Those sitting in their college commons last Tuesday may have watched between two and twenty minutes of an ad promoting the student-developed food-tracking app Diagnos. We’re glad Diagnos provides that nutritional data — absent from servery menus — for free. However, we encourage the developers of Diagnos and other app developers, especially those that involve artificial intelligence, to address ethical concerns and user-test these apps prior to launch.
Diagnos’ AI-based image recognition to identify the calories and nutritional information of food is promising. Students deserve to know what they’re eating, and serveries don’t provide nutritional information, despite other universities doing so. Integrating servery menus and allergen warnings into the app is a great step forward.
However, we’re concerned that Diagnos was rolled out prior to implementing recommendations to mitigate disordered eating practices from the Houston Eating Recovery Center. Diagnos is “working on” creating toggles for users to remove calorie and weight trackers, but those toggles are currently unavailable.
13.5 percent of female college students and 3.6 percent of male college students had an eating disorder in 2007, and eating disorder risk among American college students has increased 13 percent from 2013 to 2020. College students are particularly at risk for developing an eating disorder.
Nobody is forced to download the app
— but still, know your audience. This risk should have been taken into account early in the development process and been fully addressed prior to launch.
Also worrying is the presentation of the Healthy Eating Index, which the app says is based on the United States Department of Food and Agriculture dietary guidelines for Americans. Users’ HEI is displayed in the app on a scale of zero to 100. Scores below 10 are considered “horrible,” scores around 50 are “moderate” and scores of 90 and above
When apps tackle a sensitive topic, ethical concerns and usability issues should be ironed out prior to launch.
proclaim the user a “diet king.”
The HEI itself is not a problem. It’s an improvement over other food trackers such as MyFitnessPal that do not track micronutrient intake as prominently. The effort to convert a numeric score to colloquial terms is admirable, but telling a user their diet is “horrible” or “diet king” feels unscientific at best and callous at worst. Making students feel bad about what they put on their plates risks worsening the already heavy stigma around eating disorders.
Lastly, we doubt the accuracy of AI image recognition and barcode scanning. For
instance, how does Diagnos know whether a user is eating brown or white rice under dubious servery lighting, or how much cheese sits under the turkey on a sandwich? To be fair, the developers recommend separating food on the plate when taking pictures, but this tip is not shown in the app. Even if users diligently separate out their food, the promised 78% accuracy rate is not disclosed in the app and is a large margin of error for those trying to change their weight or hit specific macronutrient goals.
The barcode scanning also needs some work — scanning the barcode on a box of Cheez-Its brings up nutritional information for over 4,000 calories worth of food, with no visible way to change the portion size or delete food entries after saving. And even for the entire box, Diagnos’ nutritional calculations are inaccurate: A 12.4 ounce box of Cheez-Its, at 12 portions of 150 calories each, should total 1,800 calories and 204 grams of carbs, a far cry from the 4,139 calories and 462 grams of carbs quoted.
There are elements of Diagnos that are praiseworthy. We commend them for developing an entirely free app with innovative features, such as AI image recognition a crucial nutritional information. However, when apps tackle a sensitive topic, ethical concerns and usability issues should be ironed out prior to launch. At the very least, apps still in early stages should be marketed as “beta” versions. We have great student innovations — let’s ensure those innovations stay responsible.
Rice bends to Zionist propaganda
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.
In the last several weeks, Rice University held three events — both openly and behind closed doors — that, taken together, demonstrate its commitment to advancing a Zionist ideology on campus, which serves as the foundation for Israel’s increasingly psychotic expansion of its genocidal violence into Lebanon and Yemen.
On Monday, Israel commenced a ground invasion of Lebanon after days of assassinations, bombings of urban neighborhoods and destruction of villages across the country. Israel continues its ongoing belligerence because of U.S. backing.
The production of consent for the U.S. support of Israel’s genocidal campaigns is supported in no small part by American universities’ ideological and intellectual participation in promoting Zionist ideology and simultaneous repression of popular student dissent, which has manifested on Rice’s campus through the onslaught of new repressive restrictions of student activism.
On Sept. 13, vice provosts, deans, program heads and staff attended a half-day workshop led by the Academic Engagement Network. The AEN defines its core mission as to “oppose the denigration of Jewish and Zionist identities, promote academic freedom, and advance education about Israel.”
Its board contains many high-ranking university administrators who have openly targeted student organizers in solidarity with Palestine, as well as leaders of lobbying groups specifically created to advance Israeli interests. The AEN has also disapproved of academic boycotts, demonstrating their
participation in the suppression of speech by university faculty.
The content of the AEN workshop is seemingly not just designed as an attack on students standing in solidarity with Palestine, but presents a threat to Jewish life by equating the condemnation and boycott of Zionist activity with antisemitism. This programming participates in the erasure of anti-Zionist Jewish thought, denies the multiplicities of Jewish life and instrumentalizes Jewish identity in a colonial project.
For Jewish students – including one of the authors of this article – many of our peers find the link of Zionism with Judaism to be a dangerous and frankly antisemitic conflation as it pigeonholes all Jewish people behind a singular, violent, political ideology.
On Sept. 16, Baker Institute Director David Satterfield hosted Jason Isaacson of the American Jewish Committee. The AJC is a longstanding Zionist organization that directly pressures U.S. political and educational leaders to secure ongoing material support for the Zionist settler state.
Though the event was meant to cover the upcoming election and “the rise of antisemitism,” Satterfield and Isaacson quickly turned to openly espouse a fringe political line in the U.S.-Israeliled genocide in Gaza, which legitimized unrestrained violence through the complete dehumanization of Palestinians — a position out of step with popular opinion.
Satterfield and Isaacson declared South Africa’s ICJ case — which charges Israel with genocide — “a false charge” and diminished the humanity of Palestinians by cloaking the abject violence of the Israeli assault in technocratic language.
In one example, Satterfield said that U.S. and Israeli leaders had failed to prevent mass starvation in Gaza but were “self-critical” — as if cynical “self-criticism” can negate the conditions of mass death. Their statements served to legitimize the continuation of the genocide in Gaza.
The legitimization of the genocide in Gaza was extended to calls for its expansion in Lebanon in another event hosted by Satterfield. On Sept. 24, Satterfield hosted David Petraeus, a former U.S. Army general who commanded forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and the United States Central Command, where he directed military aggressions in 20 countries.
Satterfield and Petraeus’s glorification of colonial warfare was on horrifying display throughout the event. Petraeus described, in detail, a plan for the complete U.S.-Israeli occupation of Gaza involving walling off the entire Gaza Strip. Petraeus characterized Israel’s terrorist attack on Lebanon through the detonation of hundreds of electronic devices as “diabolically creative and clever and well-executed.” Most chillingly, the two endorsed a ground invasion and occupation of Lebanon at multiple points in the event.
These three events, taken together, demonstrate how the university lays the intellectual and ideological foundation for the expansion of genocidal warfare. The silencing of dissent allows the ideological defense of genocide and warfare to reproduce on our campus. Our fight to be heard is thus not just about freedom of speech, but about confronting and dismantling the entanglement of our university in the violent systems that rule our world.
Erica Augenstein HISTORY PHD STUDENT
Matti Haacke SID RICHARDSON COLLEGE SENIOR
Students talk CCD amid
Venturing into residential college vending recruitment season
CCD also hosted the Tech Careers Night.
As students settle into the fall semester, the hustle and bustle on campus is not just limited to midterms, club applications and football games — it’s also marked by recruitment season. The race for internships and positions of employment has officially begun.
The Center for Career Development helps students navigate the job market.
“We want to empower all students to find and make their place in the world ... We believe all of our students are capable of achieving their professional goals,” Nicole Van Den Heuvel, executive director of the CCD, said.
The CCD offers a variety of programs and resources that aid students in job searches.
“We have one-on-one appointments, we have drop-ins [and] we have a lot of workshops,” Van Heuvel said.
For some students, these services have been invaluable.
“I found [the Linkedin and Networking Workshop] really helpful because I didn’t have a LinkedIn account, and now I do and manage one,” Parwana Karimi, a Lovett College freshman, said.
From business etiquette lunches to salary & offer negotiation workshops, the CCD hosts events for all students looking for professional support.
“Having the CCD as a resource eases my nerves, especially since they frequently host events and workshops,” Julia Zhu, a Sid Richardson College freshman, wrote in an email to the Thresher.
CCD also provides students with online resources, ensuring students are supported every step of the way. Through 12twenty, the job and internship database, many students have direct access to employers.
I’ve used the CCD in order to look over my resume, which was helpful, but I think the meeting could have been longer than 30 minutes in order to go in depth.
Claire Doh WILL RICE COLLEGE FRESHMAN
“The counselor I worked with helped me completely restructure my resume, and this change made me feel a lot more confident about my resume,” Radhiya Bharmal, a Duncan College sophomore, said. “I think that kind of personalized guidance is really valuable, and I wish I had taken advantage of their services earlier.”
However, others have not found the resources sufficient.
“I’ve used the CCD in order to look over my resume, which was helpful, but I think the meeting could have been longer than 30 minutes in order to go in depth,” Claire Doh, a Will Rice College freshman, said.
Earlier last week, students of all majors were invited to attend the Career and Internship Expo. The Expo featured 116 employers, offering opportunities for Rice students to network and learn about various healthcare, engineering and consulting companies. That same week,
“This is the one-stop-shop for everything. This is where students will find internships and jobs, they can schedule an appointment — everything happens on 12twenty,” Van Den Heuvel said.
Some students also find the CCD alumni network beneficial. Through mentoring programs and Sallyportal, a database of Rice alumni, students can meet alumni that work in their desired fields.
Aside from resources for career options, students applying to graduate school — especially pre-medical school students — have also said they hope for additional resources.
“I am planning on applying to medical school, so I’m hoping that CCD will also be able to help with the application process,” Joann Jung, a Hanszen College freshman, said.
“It would be helpful if they could offer more resources or connections for healthcare-related internships or even workshops focused on preparing for grad school applications,” Bharmal said. “I feel like that would really broaden their appeal to students like me.”
Late-night snackers might wander unaware of the hidden gems (or absolute duds) lurking throughout their colleges. Fear not, for today, we unveil the winners of the ultimate automated snacking showdown. Each college has been graded based on the quality, accessibility, and overall ‘snackability’ of its vending machines. So pull out your spare change for this report card of culinary convenience.
D Tier: Jones College
Jones, the enigmatic realm of the neglected vending machine. With a solitary snack machine tucked away in a dimly lit corner, this machine often elicits thoughts of an abandoned college — seriously, is anyone home? With offerings that make a cardboard box seem gourmet, I’m giving it a D- for sheer existential dread. Will Rice College
A single drink machine that looks like it’s seen better days (in another decade) greets you in Will Rice’s old dorm. The syrup and water have separated like an awkward couple at Perch. With a complete lack of snacks, it earns a well-deserved D-.
Sid Richardson College
Despite its shiny exterior, it’s a cruel joke, offering only Coke Zero and KIND bars. And to top it off, no cash? That’s just cruel. D it is.
C Tier: Baker College
Occupying C tier, Baker has a pair of machines locked away behind security that could rival Fort Knox. While the snack machine is functional, the drink machine is about as active as the dance floor at Baker Christmas. Gatekeeping snacks, yet still managing to disappoint, earns Baker a C-.
Martel College
In a similar case to Baker, Martel’s machines are tucked away in their swipe-protected laundry room. Though they seemed nice, I couldn’t access these machines. So while I can’t definitively mock them, I can at least stick them in the middling C tier.
B Tier: Lovett College
With vending machines that practically wave hello as you enter, Lovett scores high for accessibility. Both machines are usually stocked and functional, making it a prime choice for those late-night cravings. It’s a dependable B.
Duncan College
Duncan’s vending machines have the potential to shine, provided they feel like cooperating. The snack machine is like a reliable friend, but the drink machine? It has commitment issues — breaking down more often than a Rice student before their MATH 102 exam. Still, we’ll give Duncan a B for its efforts.
Hanszen College
Hanszen strides into the B tier as a reliable all-rounder. It’s conveniently located and boasts functional machines, so it’s a solid stop for a quick bite. Just be aware of the card reader — it’s often out of service. B+ for effort.
A Tier: SAFE Office
The SAFE office gets an honorable mention for its innovative condomvending machine, proving that no time is too late for protected sex. A for utility but C for condoms.
McMurtry College
McMurtry is home to the only vending machine where you can score spaghetti at midnight! While it might seem extra when the servery is in sight, this unique offering is a nourishing lifeline for the nocturnal snackers — an A for originality (and carbs).
Wiess College
The Wiessmen keep their vending machines tucked away like a wellguarded secret, but they’re worth seeking out. They’ve earned a welldeserved A- with two functional and well-stocked machines accepting cash and cards. Just keep this gem under wraps — I wouldn’t want the secret getting out.
Brown College
Rounding off this list, Brown holds a solid spot in A tier as the college with the best of all worlds. Reliably functional and modern machines are right by the doors, waiting to satiate your late-night cravings. They’re just lucky I didn’t dock them for being located 4 miles off campus.
VERONICA YANG FOR THE THRESHER
THOMAS PICKELL THRESHER STAFF
GUILIAN PAGUILA / THRESHER
Sask. neighbor Rights defending org.
Clif kid food
Farewell
24-hour periods
Mozart’s “____ kleine Nachtmusik”
Singer Gray Shrek, for one
Lymph ____
“Faith, _____, and pixie dust”
Scanning a book
Jazz instrument
Actor McKellen
Crave water
Uncooked chocolate chip dough?
“Go away!”
Consumed food
Summary acronym
One personality test, abbr.
Journal submission
Three sister band
The Head and the Heart song “Rivers and _____”
Two make a Latin dance
Writing assignment
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist
Jekyll’s alter ego
“The Lady __ _ Tramp”
October birthstone
View
Tiny wave
Communication system for the deaf, abbr.
Post-public pancake providers, abbr.
Math exercise
Sports venue
Region
University of Texas mascot
Bacchanalia outfits
Rude
Pinocchio, sometimes
“The Illiad” and “The Odyssey,” for example
New ____ Yankees
Let up
Clammy
From Scratch to Sups, Samir Walji innovates
When Samir Walji first started coding Scratch games in middle school, he never imagined he’d run a startup used by students in over 138 countries one day. Now studying computer science at Rice, Walji has turned his passion for building things into Sups, an award-winning, AI-powered college application platform.
“I’ve always found building things really fun,” Walji, a Lovett College senior, said. “The idea that you can take something on your computer, on your laptop, and build something and then share it with the world is so powerful.”
This led Walji to develop Sups alongside his cofounder, Rehan Rupawalla, a ’24 University of Texas at Austin graduate with a degree in mathematics.
The web platform uses a large language model, trained on thousands of college applications, to provide AIgenerated feedback on how to approach and outline college essays. The plans range from free to $29 a month.
research in AI and large language models, and Walji said he saw a need to democratize college application guidance.
“It’s insane how much money college application advisors cost,”
Walji said. “Most kids in the U.S. can’t afford it, and this is even more true for many students outside of the U.S.
“My goal was to leverage the power of software and AI to build a platform that would let anyone around the world have access to world-class college application guidance,” Walji continued.
“Education is not a privilege. It should be a right, and everyone should have access.”
Sups recently won first place and a $40,000 prize at the TCU Values and Ventures Competition, a national startup contest for college students.
Last summer, my little sister was applying to college, and she kept asking me for help with her supplemental essays. Maybe that makes me a bad older brother, but I wanted to automate that feedback process.
Samir Walji
LOVETT COLLEGE SENIOR
Walji said his inspiration for Sups came from personal experience.
“Last summer, my little sister was applying to college, and she kept asking me for help with her supplemental essays,” Walji explained. “Maybe that makes me a bad older brother, “but I wanted to automate that feedback process.”
His inspiration coincided with his
The experience, Walji’s first pitch competition, provided valuable momentum for his work, he said. “It was super cool validation to be able to advance to the finals and win first place,” Walji said. “It was awesome to meet other driven student founders from around the world.”
Walji’s entrepreneurial journey has been supported by Rice’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He participated in FIESTA 2023, Lilie’s Festival of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Science, Tech & Art, where he connected with other student innovators and mentors in the field.
Walji said Kyle Judah, the executive director of LILIE, gave critical guidance.
“[Judah] has real experience as a startup founder in the field,” Walji said. “He’s been a tremendous mentor for me.”
Beyond his startup, Walji was president of the Rice South Asian Society and co-founded the Rice Pickleball Club. Walji planned Dhamaka, an annual South Asian cultural showcase, alongside co-president Kaylah Patel.
The SAS event sold over 1,000 tickets and was awarded Rice’s 2024 Program of the Year.
“Samir is a very easy person to work with,” Patel, a Hanszen College senior, wrote in an email to the Thresher. “With SAS, we had a very open communication, and we both worked on tasks that were more suited
for our talents: mine was planning and finances and his was primarily networking and marketing.”
As he approaches graduation, Walji is focused on scaling up Sups to help more students. The platform has already helped users gain acceptances to every Ivy League school and 48 of the top 50 schools in the U.S. Reflecting on his journey, Walji said other Rice students interested in entrepreneurship should take the leap.
“Just get started,” Walji said. “Don’t get paralyzed waiting for the perfect idea to come to you. There’s no better time in your life to start a company than as a college student. You can take a lot more risk [right now] than you can after you graduate.”
ADHIRA TIPPUR FOR THE THRESHER
AMY CAO / THRESHER
FROM FRONT PAGE REVELATION
“I wanted the title to speak about how in the everyday there’s moments of revelation … There’s moments of unearthing something that was maybe always there and you didn’t see it,” Olivier said.
Although the image was taken on her way to her job as professor of sculpture at Temple University, the artist also found parallels between the neighborhood street in the picture and her time in Houston, both as a Core Program resident and teaching at the University of Houston. Two photographs of a
pair of houses in Houston accompany “Revelation,” and are displayed around the corner from the principal photograph.
“We decided to include the two photographs that relate to this … [from] driving to the University of Houston and passing these two houses that are desolate, dilapidated,” Olivier said.
“I loved that they were a mirror of each other,” she continued, “and [showed] how the everyday can be kind of uncanny or surreal.”
The photo’s placement on the cafe’s wall is intended to create an illusion of immersion. Olivier’s Philadelphia road meets the floor of Brochstein Pavilion,
drawing the viewer into the photograph, as if they’re standing on a stoop in the very neighborhood captured.
Olivier said that she also took into account the interactions between the presence of nature in her photograph and the nature that surrounds Brochstein Pavilion, visible through the building’s expansive glass windows.
“I like this idea of an interior space that’s revealing an outside, like two outsides happening at once,” Olivier said. “I think about this [photograph] being so much about the foliage and the vines and the leaves, and then you look around and that’s everything around you.”
Beyond just the sense of wonder Olivier hopes to communicate through “Revelation,” she noted a more somber dimension, as the photograph also reflects the erratic weather events that tore the vines from the wall in the neighborhood pictured.
“I think it’s also about waking up,” Olivier said. “You know, a storm force overnight took down these vines that have been gripped onto a building … Every year trees are coming down because of the intense storms … It’s beautiful, but it also speaks to the progression of climate change.”
“Revelation” is on view at Brochstein Pavilion through Aug. 22, 2025.
A beginner’s guide to the Austin City Limits music festival
ARMAN SAXENA & JULIANA LIGHTSEY A&E EDITORS
Want to hear “Good Luck, Babe!,” “See You Again” and “Don’t Start Now” performed live at energetic concerts in the same weekend? At this year’s Austin City Limits you can check out the artists behind those iconic tracks and so many more including Reneé Rapp, Chris Stapleton and The Marías. Whether you’re venturing out to Austin’s Zilker Park this weekend or the next, here’s a helpful guide to survive the biggest music festival in Texas.
Survival tips and must-haves
Packing essentials include sunscreen, a reusable water bottle, a portable phone charger and comfortable shoes for a day of standing and walking. A light jacket or poncho is also advisable for unexpected rain showers.
Be aware – all bags must be smaller than 12” x 6” x 12”, and those bigger than 6” x 9” must be clear. Hydration packs or vests are also a festival staple, although all packs and water bottles must be empty upon entry to the festival (and can be filled at water stations once inside).
ACL is notorious for the festival fashion it evokes in attendees, but while you’re keeping your Instagram fit check in mind, also remember to dress for the warm weather and long hours of standing. Comfortable shoes are strongly recommended, especially if you’re attending for an entire weekend. Light or breathable clothing will also come in handy in the crowded venues.
Many neighborhoods near Zilker Park are very walkable, allowing you to explore the area on foot. In lieu of walkability, public transportation options like CapMetro buses and the CapMetro Rail are convenient ways to reach the festival. Ride-sharing and motorized bikes and scooter services are also readily
available, though they may experience high demand during peak times.
Once you’re at ACL, get ready for the litany of wonderful acts on display. Artists like Dua Lipa, Tyler, the Creator and Chappell Roan will receive a lot of buzz, but here are some other artists, all with under a million monthly listeners on Spotify, that you should check out while you’re in Zilker Park.
Mannequin Pussy
A band that feels like the child of SleaterKinney and Jeff Rosenstock, Mannequin Pussy blends the raw femininity of the former with the anthemic pop punk energy of the latter to create a rebellious sound that rejects easy categorization. With four albums under their belt, Mannequin Pussy has a strong catalog of noisy, passionate indie punk that is sure to rock the ACL stage. Check out their most recent album “I Got Heaven” and their breakout project “Romantic” to get a sense of the diversity of their work.
St. Lucia
If you’re a fan of early 2010s indie pop reminiscent of The 1975, Future Islands, The Drums, or Chairlift, you would love St. Lucia. A husband and wife duo hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa, St. Lucia’s sound is a mix of groovy ’80s synthpop with a modern feel. Check out “Elevate”; it’s one of their most popular songs and this uplifting summer indie anthem is a great taste of what the duo has to offer.
Empress Of
Shygirl, Allie X, Rina Sawayama, Caroline Polachek and Carly Rae Jepsen. What do they have in common, other than being some of the biggest names in contemporary alternative dance-pop? They have all worked with Honduran American singer, songwriter, and producer Empress Of.
No list of artists at Austin City Limits can go without a country artist, and Emily Nenni is one of the best under-the-radar country artists on the scene today. With a voice that captures the heartache and resilience of classic country, Nenni brings a fresh yet timeless sound to the genre. Her storytelling prowess and soulful melodies are showcased beautifully in her album “On the Ranch.” For a taste of her authentic country charm, check out tracks like “Get To Know Ya” and “In the Mornin’.” Nenni’s music is perfect for anyone looking to experience the raw, emotional depth of country music at its finest.
Merging Hindustani classical instrumentation with kaleidoscopic soundscapes like something one would hear traversing Australia’s Great Victoria Desert, Indian-Australian multiinstrumentalist Rajan Silva brings together sitars and psychedelic rock with Glass Beams. An instrumental band, Glass Beams don’t need vocals to deliver what are bound to be some of the vibes in Austin this weekend. Check out the band’s EPs “Mirage” and “Mahal” to get a sense of the group’s otherworldly and mysterious psychedelia.
by exposing UV-reactive chemicals to the sun, in addition to long exposure photos and darkroom prints.
“I feel like photography is perceived as a very static medium,” Jahangir said. “This year, I want my photos to … [go] beyond just capturing moments in time and [transform them] into a more involved experience.
“I’ll be using audible and olfactory accompaniments,” he continued, “working with scents and making audio collages. I don’t want the audio to be just a description of the picture … I want it to be an accompaniment.”
Jahangir aims to explore themes of his personal identity, belonging and loss. Having grown up in Karachi, Pakistan, his
previous work has focused on his interaction with the spaces he inhabits, including a short film about his relationship with the beach.
“I grew up right next to the beach, so I love the sea. Sometimes you only miss things once you don’t have them nearby,” Jahangir said.
grappled with “living here and going to a good university … but also missing home.”
[Jahangir] doesn’t photograph sensational things. He finds the quiet and beautiful images in the mundane.
Naomi Doron JONES COLLEGE SENIOR
Moving to Houston, a city 50 miles away from the nearest gulf, prompted a homesickness in Jahangir that inspired his freshman film “Between Shores.” The project, he said,
Jahangir also plans to create a short film for his senior studio project, shot entirely in Karachi over winter break. According to Jahangir, he intends the film to be a letter to the city seen through his own experiences and has explored shooting long-exposure selfportraits for the project.
“I get this neat transparent look, which I think does a good job at capturing how I feel when I dissociate — or when I am missing
Karachi so much that I cannot fully exist at Rice,” Jahangir said. “I also get this form of fluid motion, which I feel goes against the perception of photography capturing a moment in time.”
Naomi Doron, Jahangir’s friend, first met him in a photography darkroom their freshman year. According to Doron, Jahangir often looks inward with his photography, shooting from intimate spaces like his room.
“He loved photographing in the garden behind Wiess, with all the sunflowers, and he had a way of taking that space as well and putting a lens on it that you yourself would have never seen as you walked through,” Doron, a Jones College senior, said. “I think he doesn’t photograph sensational things. He finds the quiet and beautiful images in the mundane, and I think that’s really special.”
Emily Nenni
Glass Beams
FROM FRONT PAGE JAHANGIR
VIVIAN LANG / THRESHER
‘Layers
of complexity’: SPAN 406 explores Latin American cinema
ANGELICA HERNANDEZ FOR THE THRESHER
Latine Heritage month is in full swing, highlighting Latin American culture and contributions — but one class at Rice isn’t limiting its celebrations to just one month.
In SPAN 406: Latin American Cinema, students engage with Hispanic culture through cinema, saying they gain important insights as they do.
The class, taught by modern literature professor José Negroni Cicerchia, introduces students to movies from the 20th and early 21st centuries and explores their political
and cultural context. Students can practice their Spanish language skills while learning about Latin American culture and politics, Negroni said. He has two simple goals for his students: to think critically and to grow as people.
“I want them to be better human beings, courageous, sympathetic and love life more. These films shine a light on the varieties of human experience,” Negroni said.
Latin American cinema is distinct from the Hollywood films that have flooded both American, and Latin American screens for years, Negroni said. The class focuses on releases from the 1960s to the present, an
Review: ‘Intermezzo’
There is something degrading about reading “Intermezzo.” You’ll find it unpleasant, and Sally Rooney tries her best to make it unenjoyable, yet you won’t put it down. Notably, the author writes about someone else for a change (avoiding the long-held autobiographical accusations) while maintaining her distinctive narrative voice, and an uncanny ability to capture how, and why, we hurt the people we are supposed to love.
“Intermezzo,” released Sept. 24, is Rooney’s third book and features refreshingly different characters. The book centers on two feuding brothers, 12 years apart in age and even further apart in temperament. Ivan, the younger of the two, is 22 years old, newly graduated and meandering through life as he struggles to find his form again as a semi-professional chess player. Peter, on the other hand, is a high-strung and self-righteous human rights lawyer whose interactions with his brother are defined by his condescending and unempathetic attitude.
The novel begins with the death of their father and follows the brothers in the months after. I appreciated Sally Rooney’s realistic presentation of grief — it lingers in the lives of the protagonists. Sometimes it’s at the forefront of the novel, but often it slips to the background, although its residue remains.
The brothers’ grief defines their romantic relationships. Ivan falls for an older woman, Margaret; he experiences a love he’s never felt but longed for painfully, especially in the aftermath of his dad’s funeral. Peter is torn between two women — his ex-girlfriend Margarete (whom he clearly still loves, but can’t be intimate with due to her chronic health conditions), and Naomi, a much younger woman.
Our perception of Peter is clouded further because of Naomi’s sex work.
era of widespread development in the Latin American movie industry.
“American films are commercially oriented with some exceptions, whereas Latin American films tend to be more artistic-minded,” Negroni said.
Throughout the semester, students watch movies diverse in location and theme. Some are comedic, while others reflect on political and cultural upheaval.
“What’s cool is like you learn about politics, film and the messages behind these films … while also learning them through his personal anecdotes,” Steven Burgess, a Duncan College sophomore, said. Editor’s Note: Steven Burgess is the Thresher’s video editor.
American film industry to contextualize the movies in his class.
Additionally, students are encouraged to discuss their impressions of the films, and learn about the world that inspired them, Negroni said. He also tries to connect students to the context and creation of these movies — both at the cultural and individual level. For example, his students met the director of one of the films assigned in the course, “El Visitante.”
A plot summary does not do justice to the layers of complexity of the films in this class.
Abhi Jain MCMURTRY COLLEGE JUNIOR
Abhi Jain, a McMurtry College junior, said his time in the class was rewarding.
“I gained more of an appreciation for creative works, and the importance of analyzing them with social and political context,” Jain said. “A plot summary does not do justice to the layers of complexity of the films in this class.”
Some of the films explored in past sections of the course include “Y tu mama tambien,” “El Visitante” and “City of God.” Negroni uses his experience in the Latin
“The opportunity to hear directly from the source about his film, all initiated and organized by [Negroni], was incredibly enriching, and it portrayed [his] genuine enthusiasm and dedication that he brings to his work, both in and out of the class,” Jain said.
Negroni hopes students walk out of the course with a better understanding of Latin American culture and history, as well as the ability to analyze films in a cultural context. Simultaneously, Negroni wants to share the positive impact that Latin American cinema has had on him, he said.
“The art has uplifted, inspired and made me look at things in creative ways and I want to impart that to others,” Negroni said.
is like a toxic relationship
Rooney invites the reader to judge Peter and the ethical ambiguities that define his relationship with Naomi. He regularly sends her money, but the relationship is presented from Peter’s perspective as more than just transactional.
One’s discomfort with Peter’s relationship is heightened even more because of the graphic sex scenes in the book. When Ivan and Margaret have sex, it’s presented as an organic — and awkward — expression of love. This is not the case however, when Peter and Naomi have sex. Instead, Peter presents an objectified and sexualized Naomi, who has nothing of value, in his view, except her body: Peter says that she is the “owner of nothing in the world but her own perfect body,” Rooney writes.
Moreover, we are constantly reminded that Naomi engages in sex work while attending college — Peter frequently wonders about the other men in her life, and it’s hard to shake the feeling that Peter is taking advantage of a much, much younger girl who is financially dependent on him.
This is not a reason not to drop this book, however. One of Rooney’s talents is her writing’s ability to spark uncomfortable conversations with its unsuspecting readers, who may be under the impression that they are just going to be enjoying a simple romance novel.
This skill is also demonstrated in the poignant quasi-Marxist critiques of the alienation of labor that are littered throughout “Intermezzo,” and characters frequently muse on the way that our capitalist systems have left them feeling unfulfilled and lost. Impressively, these moments don’t feel cliche or unnatural — instead they round off her characters, and help us as readers better understand their anxieties.
My only qualms about the book lie at the sentence level. Quotation marks are, in true Sally Rooney style, missing in the novel. More unusual was the plethora of sentences lacking articles, subjects,
objects or verbs. I suspect that Rooney was trying to better translate her character’s internal monologues and capture the disjointed nature of their thoughts. Unfortunately, however, this came at the expense of the reading experience. It was jarring being forced to stop and reread a sentence to make out what was being written.
In “Intermezzo,” Sally Rooney reminds us that there is love in even the messiest and imperfect of relationships. Besides the — at times — questionable prose style, the novel is a delight to read. Rooney’s characters may be unlikeable, but I found myself unable to give up on them.
COURTESY JOSÉ NEGRONI CICERCHIA
Negroni poses with his Spring 2024 section of SPAN 406, which allows students to practice their Spanish skills while exploring film.
MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS
HUGO GERBICH PAIS SENIOR WRITER
Following two wins, volleyball seeks to land on top
EVIE VU FOR THE THRESHER
Rice volleyball opened last week with two wins against Tulane University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, defending their projected first-place American Athletic Conference finish.
The AAC’s Coaches Poll picked the team to finish atop the conference during their preseason, in their second year in the AAC.
The Sept. 27 game was a hardfought victory, as Tulane pushed the match to five sets, but the team quickly recovered to sweep UTSA Sept. 29. Head coach Genny Volpe said she expects difficult competition for the rest of the season.
of what everyone is going to do.”
During the Tulane game, sophomore outside hitter Cindy Tchouangwa and junior middle blocker Lademi Ogunlana reached career-high kills with 19 and 18, respectively. Tchouangwa also recorded her first career double-double with 10 digs.
I don’t pay attention to the polls. We never even really talk about it, but I did bring up, ‘Hey, the elephant in the room is we were picked to finish first.’
Genny Volpe RICE VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH
“We were picked to finish first, so everyone’s hyped to play that game against us,” Volpe said. “I don’t pay attention to the polls. We never even really talk about it, but I did bring up, ‘Hey, the elephant in the room is we were picked to finish first, and what Tulane did is gonna be a very good example
“The biggest strength [against Tulane] was the use of our bench,” Volpe said. “We are so deep; we have so much talent, and so I think that’s gonna set us apart. We were able to make some changes. It was good to see so many people stepped up.”
The win against Tulane was also Volpe’s 400th coaching career victory. When it comes to winning, Volpe emphasized the importance of staying grounded.
“Every single game is important, and they’re equally important,” she said. “Be where your feet are. We try to stay consistent in that message. Approaching every opponent the same with the same amount of respect. Trust our system, trust our training and be present.”
Scores & what’s next
ANDERSEN PICKARD ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Scores from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1
Women’s Soccer vs. University of Alabama at Birmingham
Sept. 26 - Rice 2, UAB 1
Men’s Cross Country at Gans Creek Classic
Sept. 27 - Placed 16th out of 37
Women’s Volleyball at Tulane University
Sept. 27 - Rice 3, Tulane 2
Men’s Tennis at US College Cup Invitational
Sept. 27-28 - 4-7 singles, 4-2 doubles
Women’s Cross Country at Chile Pepper Festival
Sept. 28 - Placed 5th out of 27
Men’s Football vs. University of North Carolina Charlotte
Sept. 28 - Rice 20, Charlotte 21
Women’s Volleyball vs. University of Texas at San Antonio
Sept. 29 - Rice 3, UTSA 0
Women’s Soccer at University of Texas at San Antonio
Sept. 29 - Rice 1, UTSA 0
Men’s Golf at Bayou City Collegiate Classic
Sept. 30- Oct. 1 - 3rd place (-23)
What’s next from Oct. 2 to Oct. 8
Women’s Soccer vs. Temple University
Oct. 3, 6:05 p.m. - Home on ESPN+
Men’s Tennis at Ron Wesbrooks Invitational
Oct. 4-6 - Away in Beaumont, Texas
Women’s Volleyball at University of Tulsa
Oct. 4, 6 p.m. - Away on ESPN+
Women’s Cross Country at DBU Old Glory Gallop
Oct. 5 - Away in Dallas, Texas
Men’s Golf at Trinity Forest Invitational
Oct. 6-8 - Away in Dallas, Texas
Along with staying consistent, the team has adopted a specific “attack mindset,” outside hitter Katrina Jensen said.
“We talk a lot about … being aggressive in everything we do, not being afraid to make big plays in big moments and take big swings,” Jensen, a graduate transfer, said.
This is Jensen’s first season at Rice after playing four seasons at Boston College. Despite only being at Rice for a few months, Jensen said she already sees personal improvement.
“It’s been a huge difference here,” Jensen said. “They just break everything down into little micromovements at practice. They really care about all the tiny little details, and so we train everything super specifically, super hard.”
Savannah Skopal, a freshman setter, has quickly cemented herself as an asset to the team, Volpe said. She was named the season’s first AAC Freshman of the Week. During her first collegiate match, she tallied 61 assists, the most by an Owl in a season opener since 2016. Skopal also showed her defensive skill with 22 digs and two block assists that week.
“[Skopal] has shown right away that she can handle game time pressure,” Volpe said. “She’s a very talented setter, but also a very competitive person and a natural-born leader.”
Off the court, the team actively works to maintain a cohesive culture, according to Jensen. Jensen said she immediately clicked with the team on a personal level, leading to strong chemistry both on and off the court.
“It’s like we have 16 built-in best friends,” Jensen said. “A big part of staying positive is looking outwards on to your teammates. If something isn’t going well for you personally, [you look] to your left and your right. You have two people right next to you, who care about you and want the best for you.”
Volpe said she keeps this culture in mind while recruiting and seeing how prospective players will fit in on the team. She said she looks for candidates who are driven, both academically and athletically.
“If the culture breaks down then you’re done,” Volpe said. “So I think we’ve done a good job building … respect for each other, respecting everyone’s differences, being very competitive and cohesive.”
As they ease into conference play, the team lingers on their projected first-place conference finish.
“It’s a sign of respect of us, but also we haven’t earned anything yet,” Volpe said.
The Owls will play again on Friday, Oct. 4 at the University of Tulsa. In their last matchup a year ago, Rice swept the Golden Hurricanes. The Oct. 4 matchup will be streamed on ESPN+ at 6 p.m.
CAYDEN CHEN / THRESHER Midfield senior Mikala Furuto hugs her teammate during the Sept. 26 game, their eighth win of the season, against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. They got their ninth win Sept. 29 at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
CAYDEN CHEN / THRESHER Graduate midfielder Leah Chancey shoots during the Sept. 26 game. Chancey scored her seventh goal of the season Sept. 26, and her seventh in a row Sept. 29.
Observations and adjustments after Rice football falls to Charlotte
Rice football led for more than 53 minutes during Saturday’s conference battle with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, but it wasn’t enough. The Owls surrendered a touchdown with 47 seconds remaining and missed a potential gamewinning field goal as time expired, falling to Charlotte, 21-20.
“These guys are hurting bad,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said postgame. “These guys fought for us today with everything they had.”
As Rice enters its bye week at 1-4, it becomes necessary to explore what went right for the Owls on Saturday, what went wrong and which areas should be emphasized during an extra week of practice.
The good: Depth players step up
As the Owls continue to deal with injuries on both sides of the ball, they have needed depth players to step up and take on expanded roles.
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Joseph Mutombo saw increased opportunities with redshirt junior Blake Boenisch sidelined by an injury he suffered in Week 4.
Mutombo, who missed all but one game as a true freshman in 2023, recorded his first career interception and first career sack on Saturday. Despite not starting the game, he finished with a career-high 27 snaps and four tackles, including two for a loss of yards.
Pro Football Focus, a company that
CAYDEN CHEN / THRESHER
Graduate tight end Elijah Mojarro gets tackled during football’s loss to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Sept. 28. Mojarro was recognized by Pro Football Focus with the second highest receiving grade (90.8) this week of 187 qualified tight ends.
analyzes individual and team performances among collegiate and professional football leagues, issued Mutombo a 90.3 defense grade in Week 5. With this grade, he ranked 17th among more than 2,500 qualified defenders in Division I.
“[Mutombo] came up and had a great day,” Josh Pearcy, Rice senior captain and linebacker, said. “Getting that pick, that was awesome, and getting out of the stack, making plays on the sideline as a big guy — that’s just a guy that wants it, a guy that works hard. Having guys like that on the field makes everyone’s job easier.”
Senior tight end Boden Groen also didn’t play on Saturday, but graduate tight end Elijah Mojarro stepped up in his absence. Mojarro caught four passes for 73 yards (both career highs), headlined by a 41-yard catch and run on which he broke three tackles and scored his first career touchdown.
Mojarro was also recognized by PFF for his effort. Among 187 qualified FBS tight ends, he ranked second in receiving grade (90.8) and sixth in offense grade (85.7).
Rice will look to get its core players healthy during the bye week but can find comfort in its depth players stepping up when needed.
The bad: Big play susceptibility, special teams woes
Rice ultimately lost, despite trailing for only three minutes and 39 seconds — or 6.1% of the game. Charlotte made a quarterback change at halftime that
seemingly flipped a switch. Three big pass plays by their new quarterback served as a catalyst for Charlotte to come back and win.
Those three plays were 32-, 45- and 66yard gains for Charlotte through the air. The first two were touchdowns while the third completion positioned them inside the red zone with 90 seconds left.
These defensive lapses are nothing new for the Owls, who have demonstrated a susceptibility to big plays this season. Ten of the 18 touchdowns they have allowed so far came on gains of at least 30 yards.
Inconsistent special teams play has also cost Rice in numerous scenarios. This week, concerns were attributed to the kicking game. Redshirt sophomore kicker Enock Gota did not convert the potential game-winning 40-yard field goal on Saturday, missing just wide left.
Gota finished Saturday’s game 2-for-3 on field goal attempts. Rice’s two kickers, Gota and redshirt senior Tim Horn, are 12for-19 on field goals dating back to the start of the 2023 season.
Looking forward: Rice gets another AAC foe after bye week
Entering their bye week, Rice should address the defense’s tendency to surrender
big plays. Amidst injuries, the Owls must adapt and find ways to limit these plays by their opponents, even if that means getting creative with their defensive schemes and play-calling.
It will also be important for Rice’s offense and special teams to set the tone early in their next game against the University of Texas at San Antonio Oct. 12. The defense’s bye week improvements will be moot if the passing attack stalls early or the special teams unit commits a costly error.
“There’s a lot of things we can fix and a lot of things we will fix, but it’s going to take a deep dive, that’s for sure,” Bloomgren said after the team’s loss to Charlotte.
The Owls can still turn their season around, but the clock is ticking. Rice needs to win at least five of their final seven games to finish 6-6 and qualify for a third consecutive bowl game.
Andersen Pickard ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
“Owl-American”
“What a season, huh?” “Coach, it’s week five.”
Rice diving makes a comeback with new talent, high hopes
ANA RIVERA THRESHER STAFF
After a 30-year hiatus, Rice’s diving program is back. The program is spearheaded by three-time Olympian Gabi Chereches, who represented Romania, and two divers.
For Chereches, the decision to coach Rice’s diving program was driven by the potential he saw in the school’s athletic environment.
“Rice is an exceptional institution, and I could see the opportunity to build something meaningful here,” Chereches said. “It’s about more than just competing — it’s about setting a foundation for the future.”
Rylee Coyne, a Martel College junior studying environmental science. Phillip, who transferred from the University of Minnesota after four years of diving, was drawn to Rice by its academic reputation and the chance to work with Chereches, whom she had known from her early diving years.
“When I got the call from Coach Gabi, it felt like the right move,” Phillip said. “There were other programs I could have joined, but I knew he was the best coach to help me grow.”
Rice is an exceptional institution, and I could see the opportunity to build something meaningful here. It’s about more than just competing — it’s about setting a foundation for the future.
The two divers are Megan Phillip, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in global affairs, and
Gabi Chereches RICE DIVING COACH
Rice previously had a diving team in 1975 but discontinued the sport in 1991 due to NCAA changes in pool and diving facilities, according to a Jan. 30 press release from Rice Athletics. Although the Rice competition pool offers 1- and 3-meter springboards, the team travels to the University of Houston
twice a week for additional training, as Rice does not have the required platforms and towers for advanced diving.
Phillip said that the transition wasn’t without its challenges, particularly as she recovered from a foot injury earlier this year. Despite uncertainty about her health, she was determined to make the most of the opportunity at Rice.
“It was tough for a while after the injury,” Phillip said. “But Rice gave me the chance to continue my diving career, and that’s something I’m grateful for.”
Coyne’s path to Rice was similarly motivated by the prospect of growth. After spending two years at George Washington University, Coyne transferred to Rice.
“What stood out to me was how supportive and inclusive Rice felt,” Coyne said. “It’s not just about being an athlete here. You’re part of a larger community, and that really made a difference.”
According to Coyne, the swim team has been welcoming, which Chereches believes is crucial to the program’s success.
“Swimming and diving are distinct sports, but we function as one team,” Chereches said. “The way the swimmers have embraced the divers has been great to see. That team mentality is important.”
The divers practice alongside the swim team and contribute to overall team points at competitions. Despite the small size of the diving squad, they say they’re confident in their ability to compete effectively, with upcoming meets including a key competition at the University of Houston.
“The support we’ve received from both the swim team and the coaches has been great,” Coyne said. “It made the transition easier, and it helps to know we’re all working toward the same goals.”
As the preseason progresses, Phillip and Coyne are focused on competing at the highest level they can while establishing a strong foundation for Rice’s diving program.
“We know there’s still a lot of work ahead, but it’s exciting to be part of something new,” Phillip said. “We’re laying the groundwork for the future, and that’s a rewarding feeling.”
The dive team will make its first official leap into competition at the University of Houston on Oct. 11-12 for the Houston Diving Invitational. For Phillip, Coyne and Chereches, this meet marks the beginning of what they hope will be a lasting legacy for the future of Rice diving.
EDITORIAL CARTOON
HONG LIN TSAI / THRESHER
Student Association MILF Weekend Schedule
The Student Association Commission on Wellbeing is excited to announce special programming for Rice students suffering from loneliness because their parents were unable to attend Families Weekend. This upcoming weekend, the SA is inviting 100 lovely middle-aged ladies to provide a motherly presence to those students without one. Sign up by Thursday to get paired with a mature Houston-area woman for a weekend of mom-tastic fun!
Friday
Meet the Milves Welcome Reception Hotel ZaZa, 10 - 11 AM
Mature icebreakers include Twister, Never Have I Ever, and the Rice Purity Test — Milves win SkinnyPop if their score is at least 20 points below their age! Cucumber-infused water and warm hand towels provided free of charge.
MILFITQ: Motherly Icons Looking Fierce, In The Quad Residential Colleges, 4 - 5:30 PM
Sip on Josh red wine and High Noons as you hoedown with the Milves on a Slip ‘N Slide, bouncy castle, or mechanical bull!
Academic Lecture Sit-in Various locations, 1 - 3 PM
ARCH: “In This House, We Love Each Other, Laugh Loudly, and Drink Wine!”: Interior Decorating with Your Life Mottos (sponsored by West Elm) PSYC: In Defense of Sigmund Freud BUSI: “Personal Branding” 101: From Blogging to Influencing
“Hot Moms in your Area” Pub Pub, 10 PM - 2 AM
Free cover for 40+! Setlist includes Stacy’s Mom by Fountains of Wayne, Me and Your Mama by Childish Gambino, and anything by Yung Gravy. Don’t forget to say “mother is mothering!” when she breaks out the disco finger.
Saturday
Morning Workout
Gibbs Recreation Center, 8 - 9:30 AM
Work out alongside sweaty Milves in aqua Zumba, power yoga, barre, and Crossfit courses taught by student volunteers. But don’t get caught staring at their impeccable form!
Cougars Go to the Cougars!
University of Houston, 4 - 6 PM
A shuttle will take students and Milves to the University of Houston for the Rice vs. UH Club Lacrosse game. Lawn chairs, opera glasses, and “Rose-ay” provided.
Sid 80’s
Sid Richardson College, 10 PM - 2 AM
Get jiggy with your Milf at Sid 80’s! Watch the Milves relive their heyday and groove all night to Journey, Madonna, and all their favorite artists from their golden years.
Sugar Shopping Shuttle Various locations, 10 AM - 3 PM
Sugar mommy for the day! A party bus will run between Target, Trader Joe’s, Rice Village, Crate & Barrel, and the Galleria. Watch in awe as your Milf purchases copious amounts of leopard print merchandise and Rae Dunn houseware.
Dinner
Residential College Commons, 6 - 7 PM
She’ll be impressed by the “exotic” and “wow, so authentic!” international cuisine (butter chicken and enchiladas), but beware of when she says “Grassy-ass!” to H&D employees and “Oh, I shouldn’t… oh, I’m so bad!” when grabbing dessert.
Overnight Stay
Hotel ZaZa, All night
Optional flex time provided for bedtime stories and positive affirmations from your Milf.
Sunday
Church Service Rice Chapel, 9 - 11 AM
Let your Milf take you to church in their Lexus SUV and learn from them why it’s so important to “Keep the Christ in Christmas.”
Designated Facebook Recap Post Draft time
RMC Grand Hall, 2 - 4 PM
Help your Milf comb through photos on their phone to find their best selfies and zoomed-in landscape scenery pictures from the weekend! Get ready to deny it at all costs when they ask “Do I really look like that?”
or comments, please email pookiebear@rice.edu.
Meet the Parents Brunch Rice Village, 11:30 AM - 1 PM
Relationship milestone! Meet the Milves’ parents at Bluestone Lane or Sweet Paris, with bottomless mimosas funded by the SA.
Goodbye Ceremony
RMC Grand Hall, 4 - 5 PM
Closing remarks from Jae Kim. The SA will hand out free Ricebranded hand sanitizer and stuffed animal keychains for your Milves to commemorate the weekend.
The Backpage is the satire section of the Thresher, written this week by Andrew Kim, Will Howley, Charlie Maxson, and Max Scholl and designed by Lauren Yu. For questions