How does each residential college plan to vote? TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE
Will
Hanszen Wiess
Sid
McMurtry Duncan
For Thresher’s elections issue, we polled the student body about voting preferences — from their pick in the presidential race, to the policies they care about most. We received 427 responses across all grades and residential colleges.
U.S. PRESIDENT CANDIDATE PREFERENCE
ARMAN SAXENA A&E EDITOR
“It’s gonna be fun. If you don’t wanna jump, just leave.”
That’s how Malcolm Todd described the tone at his shows, where energy reigns supreme and connection with the crowd is everything.
“Playing concerts is amazing,” Todd said. “It’s something I am falling more and more in love with.”
After cutting his teeth with nearly 60 shows this year, the 21-year-old artist has discovered that the stage is where his music feels most alive.
At Austin City Limits, Todd played the T-Mobile stage in hot 2 p.m. Zilker Park weather. While his shows draw spirited crowds, with fans singing the words of his tracks while moving to the melodies, Todd likes to end his shows with a bang of energy: 20 seconds of jumping to his most popular song “Roommates.”
“‘Roommates’ is my most popular song, a fan favorite for sure,” Todd said. “As time went on I kinda realized everyone’s so stoked on the song, and I just told everyone to jump … and everyone did.”
AMELIA DAVIS THRESHER STAFF
In 2010, Annise Parker ’78 stood before a crowd of citizens at the George R. Brown Convention Center. She had just been elected mayor of Houston.
Parker was the first openly gay woman voted to the city’s office, and her election was met with celebration and trepidation alike. On that night in the convention center, she stood to address the crowd in her first speech as mayor.
“I am very proud to have been elected the first …” Parker paused, “... graduate of Rice University to be mayor of Houston.”
In an interview with the Thresher, Parker said she drew on Rice’s reputation and unifying power to gain common ground with the people of Houston. Though not a politico-producing powerhouse on the level of institutions such as Harvard or Georgetown, several alumni over the years have entered the political sphere.
Included in that small class of Owls: Josh Earnest ’97, former White House press secretary to Barack Obama — and current university trustee — and Ben Rhodes ‘00, former Deputy National Security Advisor.
Glenn Allen Youngkin ’90, American businessman and politician, has been the governor of Virginia since 2022. Andy Kopplin ’88, former Baker College president, went on to be New Orleans deputy mayor from 2010 to 2016.
Additionally, Rice has produced alumni working internationally — George Chang ’66, or Chang Tsanhung, is a Taiwanese politician and independence activist who served as the mayor of Tainan City from 1997 to 2001.
George Prescott Bush ’98 is an American politician and attorney who served as the commissioner of the Texas General Land Office from 2015 to 2023. Despite his family’s legacy in politics, after graduating from Rice, Bush’s interest primarily lay not in running for office, but in teaching and public service.
Before attending law school, he taught social studies at a public high school in Florida for several years. He described his time in the military as the most fulfilling role he’s had.
“When I was at Rice, I never even thought about it,” Bush said in an interview with the Thresher. “Looking back on it, I wish I had spent more time
in the military. I did serve 10 years as a reservist and had some time overseas, but I think the apex of my career on paper would be serving as land commissioner, a statewide role — I think I’m the only Rice Owl ever to serve in that role.”
Bush feels the values and expectations of political candidates have changed for the worse, he said.
“It used to be the case that your desire to serve — the amount of skill, the amount of wisdom, you would provide other leaders and also your constituents — really counted,” Bush said. “I feel like less so, that is the case.
Harris’ stance on Palestine and lack of a ceasefire demand are my primary hestiation in voting for her.
Wiess sophomore ASIAN, GENDERFLUID/GENDERQUEER INDEPENDENT – STILL DECIDING
I wonder how many people actually took five minutes of research before choosing who they vote for. I look at policies and history. I didn’t realize that everyone wants to be worse off than before.
Duncan senior BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN, MALE GREEN PARTY – FOR JILL STEIN
I feel that oftentimes, the Deep South is viewed as backwards and beyond help. It is belittled by liberals in other areas and blamed for its own problems. But we are not a lost cause … We are in this hole because of Republican voter suppression, gerrymandering and policy.
Baker junior WHITE, FEMALE DEMOCRAT – FOR KAMALA HARRIS
I voted against [Trump] in the primary. I absolutely despise Trump. However, I personally need a better economy, lower crime rates, a peacemaker and to feel safe in my country again. Unfortunately I do not find that in Harris, so Trump, reluctantly, is my guy.
Wiess freshman WHITE, MALE REPUBLICAN – FOR DONALD TRUMP
After seeing the aftermath of [the 2020] election and the Jan. 6 insurrection, I feel like I cannot support Trump anymore. Being that I have also disliked Kamala from the start, I will not be voting in this election.
McMurtry senior ASIAN, MALE INDEPENDENT – NOT VOTING
Local elections are incredibly important, especially while HISD is still taken over by Mike Miles. It’s very easy for Rice students to stay in the hedges, but we also have the power to make change in the fourthlargest city.
Sid Richardson senior WHITE, NON-BINARY DEMOCRAT – FOR KAMALA HARRIS
Editor’s Note: These responses have been edited and condensed for clarity, but not content.
VIOLA HSIA ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Wiess College announced that their new public party theme will be a masquerade. The party will be officially titled “Masquerade After Dark” — MAD for short – according to the announcement made during Wiess’ Oct. 18 FITQ. According to Wiess co-Social Vice President Isabelle Shen, the public is scheduled for Jan. 25. Wiess co-Social Vice President Rocio Gras added that the event will be outdoors.
The announcement comes after Night of Decadence was permanently canceled last summer. NOD was Wiess’s public theme for 50 years, traditionally happening during the weekend closest to Halloween. Shen, a sophomore, said planning for MAD happened immediately after the announcement and Wiess students voted on the new theme beginning June 25.
“We narrowed down to our four top choices that were both appropriate and, we thought, could be fun,” Shen said. “Then we sent out another final form, and basically, Masquerade, our final theme, was voted on the most.”
themes suggested were Roaring ’20s, Aprés Ski-yee and Night at the Museum.
Shen added that — much like how NOD had annual themes — MAD’s first theme will be decided by the end of the year.
“It’s exciting to see if we can make something that’ll stick,” Gras, also a sophomore, said. “The fact that we’re trying to put something out there that could possibly stick with Wiess, I think is very exciting.”
It’s exciting to see if we can make something that’ll stick. The fact that we’re trying to put something out there that could possibly stick with Wiess, I think is very exciting.
Isabelle Shen WIESS CO-SOCIAL VICE PRESIDENT
According to Shen and Gras, other
Gras said that one of the largest challenges of planning a new public is living up to NOD’s reputation.
“One of the scariest parts is just knowing people are going to compare it to NOD,” Gras said.
“That’s what students are going to do. It’s a realistic thing. I think people are going to be unhappy, but we can’t
please everybody, so [we’re] just trying to please as many people as possible.”
Both Shen and Gras wanted to clarify that while the masquerade will not require formal attire, the theme will not encourage NOD’s more revealing dress code.
“We, [along with] our magisters, have made it very clear we want to start to steer away from NOD’s history,” Gras said. “It’s not to be sexualized, not to have the same concepts behind it. [We’re] fully starting from scratch.”
JAMES CANCELARICH ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Four referenda were introduced to the Student Association during the Oct. 21 senate meeting that call for university divestment from Israel-aligned companies and a university condemnation of the “horrific violence” in Gaza as part of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The SA also passed S.RES 05, a resolution that asks the university to review its recently revised demonstration and postering policies.
S.REF 01 asks the Rice Management Company to disclose all of its holdings and investments. S.REF 02 asks that Rice divest from any companies with financial ties to Israel, with specific reference to Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Chevron and others. S.REF 03 asks for a university statement condemning genocide and scholasticide in Palestine. S.REF 04 asks the university to institutionalize an “anti-
colonial commitment” by materially supporting Palestinian and anti-colonial scholarship.
A referendum is a general student body vote on a single political question, according to the SA Constitution. The Senate may request for a referendum by a two-thirds vote in favor by SA voting members. If passed by the Senate, the referendum is then presented to the student body for a vote. If there is a 20% voter turnout with two-thirds approval from the student body, the referendum passes. In the cases of S.REF 1-4, the referenda would then be presented to the university administration for consideration.
vote on what they want to see from administration,” Saxena, a Lovett College junior, said during the senate meeting.
Editor’s note: Arman Saxena is one of the Thresher’s Arts & Entertainment editors.
Following the introduction of the referenda, eight students gave one-minute speeches, four in favor of and four against the referenda. Many were cut short by a timer.
S.RES 05 asks the university to create a commission with students and faculty to consider and revise the recently updated postering and demonstration policies.
The restrictions could permit current or future administrators from overly restricting any campus speech or action S.RES 05
A resolution is a view or policy that is decided on solely by voting members of the senate.
The referenda are expected to come to a vote at the Senate meeting next week, Oct. 28.
Arman Saxena, author of the referenda, said that Senate voting members are not voting on whether they agreed with the contents of the referenda, but if they believe the questions posed should be voted on by the general student body.
“[This is] direct democracy in that it allows the student body itself to
“The restrictions could permit current or future administrators from overly restricting any campus speech or action,” the authors of S.RES 05 allege in the resolution.
SA President Jae Kim said that the resolution is unlikely to be adopted by university administrators in its entirety, but could be the beginning of a conversation.
“The administration is not going to take this as it is presented,” Kim, a Brown College senior, said during the senate meeting. “[We will] enter [into] constructive conversations with upper administration with student feedback on what this policy will look like.”
NOA BERZ SENIOR WRITER
McMurtry College sophomore Kathryn Petree passed away due to cancer complications last Saturday, Oct. 12. Kathryn matriculated a semester late to complete chemotherapy treatments, but those close to her say she left a mark on everyone in her time at Rice. Above all else, she is survived by memories of her incredible generosity and optimism.
Antwi-Boasiako. She was just as enthusiastic about helping her peers with homework as she was about her own learning.
We met and she was just a bundle of joy ... I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to be friends with her.’
Brooklyn Freeman KATHRYN’S FRIEND
Akshara Sankar, Kathryn’s Orientation Week sister, said she remembers going to Moody X-Fest with Kathryn in the spring of last year. Organizers were handing out free ice cream to everyone who attended; Sankar doesn’t eat dairy. She remembers Kathryn walked her all the way back to her dorm to give her a non-dairy ice cream sandwich Kathryn had in her freezer.
“She would be open with what she was going through, [and] she always asked how you were doing, too,” Sankar said. “That was such a defining part of her. She was really generous in everything she did.”
Kathryn — an ‘orgo whiz’ — was eager to continue taking organic chemistry, despite reducing her course hours after hospitalization, said her O-Week sister Ann
Among friends, Kathryn was known for her unique hobbies and eclectic music taste. She loved all things food, baking with unlikely ingredients and making complicated coffee drinks — the outdoors, Sweetgreen salads and a penchant for gourmet cheese. Kathryn also knitted sweaters, cherished traveling with her family and had an obsession with Sweetgreen salads. O-Week sister
Grace Doolittle said Kathryn pushed her to embrace a love of the outdoors, which they shared.
“I’d always looked at Founder’s Court … and been like, ‘That’d be such a nice place to read a book.’ But I was too scared, there’s always so many cars and students going by,” said Grace Dootlittle, Kathryn’s O-Week sister. “I walked out one Saturday, and she was just there, sprawled out on a picnic blanket reading a book … She made me brave, as silly as it sounds, to enjoy nature.”
“She snuck away from MD Anderson without the doctors knowing to go to a [Greta Van Fleet] concert, even when she was stage four,” Doolittle continued. “That was really awesome of her.”
Religion was another important piece of Kathryn’s life. Brooklyn Freeman said she remembers meeting her for the first time at a Sunday church service in Houston. They bonded over mutual friends, and later attended public parties and prepared for Beer Bike together.
Freeman remembers Kathryn as someone who appreciated and took full advantage of the opportunities she was granted, even as that became increasingly difficult.
“We met and she was just a bundle of joy, honestly, that’s how I think most people would describe her,” Freeman, a sophomore, said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to be friends with her.’”
“Kathryn was a true embodiment of what gratitude means,” she continued. “I think that that’s just one of the most special things about her, and that I hope to carry on for her –being grateful for the everyday things that we have.”
Kathryn was open about her cancer but never let the illness define her, friends say. Antwi-Boasiako said she tried to stay lighthearted, often joking about her frustrations with the treatments
and coming to campus daily, even as her treatments ramped up.
“As soon as she got to stage four, she was like, ‘I’m just gonna do everything I want now,’” Antwi-Boasiako said. “And she really did do that. She never stopped letting herself live and enjoy all the things that she loved.”
Those who knew her best say they remained in awe of Kathryn’s adventurous spirit, determination and relentless joy. Friends adored her quirkiness and kind heart, and said her presence will be missed across campus and by those who had the pleasure of knowing her.
“In spite of her death, what really needs to be focused on is the way that she lived,” Antwi-Boasiako said. “She lived so fearlessly and she did all the things that she loved.”
VIOLA
HSIA ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Students registered in Harris County this year will vote in dozens of national, state and local races. While races for local and state elected officials see lower turnout than presidential elections, these candidates will be making decisions with local impact on the Rice community.
One of the issues on the ballot across multiple races is reproductive freedom, which became a key legislative matter after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022.
“This election is about freedom,” U.S. Representative Lizzie Fletcher, a Democrat, wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Women and families across Texas are in crisis, and attacks on women’s health have generated fear and confusion for women and their loved ones. It is critical that we find a way to protect them. I will continue doing everything I can to restore the health, privacy, dignity and freedom of women in Texas and across our country.”
Like reproductive health, public school funding is a concern for many Harris County residents. In June 2023, the Texas Education Agency took over the Houston Independent School District, appointing a superintendent and board of directors until all schools within the district meet TEA
educational outcome criteria.
Brett Robinson, the Democratic candidate for State Representative of District 130, said public school funding is a core part of his campaign.
“As someone who grew up in public schools and recently graduated with my Master’s in Public Administration from [University of Houston], I am a fierce advocate for public education, I am deeply concerned about the future of public education in Texas, as Governor Abbott’s voucher scam is already defunding our public schools,” Robinson wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Instead of vouchers, we need to support our public school teachers. 70% of Texas teachers are considering quitting, so we need to increase teacher pay and show them the appreciation they deserve.”
offenders task force, street crimes unit and community problem-oriented policing unit,” Gonzalez, a Democrat, wrote in an email to the Thresher.
This election is about freedom.
Lizzie Fletcher U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN, TX-07
“We’re laser-focused on women and families, providing counseling and support to children with a parent in jail, educational and vocational programs for incarcerated women to help them stay out of jail after they’ve served their time and raising the number of women deputies.”
Libertarian Senate candidate Ted Brown said he is campaigning on reducing inflation.
that will promote job creation, support small businesses and invest in sustainable industries to foster a thriving economy.”
Other issues most candidates are bringing to their ticket include the right to vote and peaceful transition of power, as well as election misinformation. Dayna Steele, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative in District 36, said that this was one of the main reasons she decided to run against incumbent Brian Babin.
“My opponent, Brian Babin, was running unopposed even though he breached his oath of office by participating in the fake elector plan and not certifying the election,” Steele wrote in an email to the Thresher. “He has also never condemned the actions of Jan. 6.”
Robinson refers to Abbott’s plan to provide education savings accounts, or vouchers, which would provide families state funds to pay for private schools.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said he plans to create county task forces to increase public safety.
“We’re working hard to reduce violent crime, creating the department’s first-ever violent
“We need a balanced budget with massive spending cuts in all federal departments, agencies and programs across the board, with no exceptions,” Brown wrote in an email to the Thresher. “This includes the military, which can’t pass an audit and can’t account for hundreds of billions of dollars they were appropriated in past years.”
Laura Jones, the Democratic candidate for Texas’ 8th Congressional District, said she wants to prioritize strengthening Texas’ economy.
“Economic growth is another critical area of focus,” Jones wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Once elected, I plan to put forth legislation
The “fake elector” plan Steele refers to was part of Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, which declared President Joe Biden the winner. Trump and his administration asked Republican state officials to not certify the election results.
Texas Senator Molly Cook said she believes progress will only happen in Texas if more people are able to vote.
“I believe in year-round, sustained, targeted voter engagement that meets real needs and supports community cohesion,” Cook, a Democrat, wrote in an email to the Thresher. “We will never see the change in Texas that we seek until we increase voter turnout.”
HONGTAO HU THRESHER STAFF
Early voting for the 2024 election cycle began Oct. 20. While some Rice students are preparing to cast their votes, most of whom are voting in their first presidential election, others will not be voting.
RiceVotes, one of the larger political organizations at Rice, aims to “make participation in local, state and federal elections a social norm,” according to its website. According to Melissa Marschall, a professor of political science and steering committee member of RiceVotes, many Rice students vote.
including Fondren Library and the League of Women Voters.
“I think this year’s [RiceVotes] program has been great, but it also acknowledges all the different organizations on campus that work independently to create voter registration opportunities for students,” Alvarez, a senior, said.
I wouldn’t say that there’s no activism, it just kind of comes and goes.
Melissa Marschall
PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
“Part of [Rice’s voter turnout] is having a polling location on campus, which is something relatively new,” Marschall said. “This year is the first year that we have no classes on Election Day. That’s a big deal. We’ve never done that before – recognizing that it’s important for students to have time to vote and give them the day off. ”
Marschall said that 878 people registered to vote this fall, a record number since 1999. Voter registration efforts also began during Orientation Week for the first time this year.
According to an Institute for Democracy & Higher Education report, in the 2020 election, 77.9% of eligible Rice students voted in the presidential election, up from 59.1% in 2016, and 11.9 points higher than the average institution similar to Rice.
For Erika Alvarez, Baker College’s civic engagement representative, RiceVotes’ successes are due in part to concurrent efforts from multiple organizations,
Alvarez said she joined RiceVotes and became a civic engagement representative in response to the political conditions in Texas.
“I’ve always been quite civically engaged, even as an immigrant to the U.S., so I can’t vote,” Alvarez said. “I’m always making sure that I am informed, especially in a state like Texas, which makes it so difficult to vote.”
However, voter registration and education efforts haven’t reached everyone.
For McMurtry College sophomore Kef Nkosi, registration difficulties prevented him from voting in previous elections.
“Last year, I did try to vote because people were telling me to vote,” Nkosi said. “I ended up missing a lot of class waiting in line to vote, just to be told once it was my turn that something went wrong with my registration, and they weren’t able to fix it. Honestly, I felt like I wasted my time.”
“This year, when I ran into the same issue, I honestly just didn’t really feel like going through it again,” Nkosi continued.
Still, Nkosi believes that he’ll participate in political processes in the future.
“As I age, I probably will become a little more engaged and actively involved,” Nkosi said. “Right now, I don’t even know who I am, I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know what I want to study, I don’t know
what I want to do, so maybe when I figure myself out a little more, I can start to pay more attention to all these other things around me.”
However, Marschall said that student political engagement beyond voting is lacking.
“We don’t see a lot of student organizing compared to maybe some other campuses or earlier periods in time,” Marschall said. “I wouldn’t say that there’s no activism, it just kind of comes and goes. Most recently, it’s centered around what’s going on in the Middle East with the IsraelPalestine conflict.”
political activism.
Matti Haacke, a Students for Justice in Palestine representative, said they found that political involvement in the group has ebbed and flowed in response to global events.
“As the early spring semester came this past year, I think that the movement slowed down a little bit because of losing momentum,” Haacke, a Sid Richardson College senior, said. “We’ve been working on how to build up the momentum and be strategic about what actions are worth having. For example, our walkout during the opening of the academic quad was really successful. The vigil that we had on Oct. 7 was really successful, where we had over 100 people there.”
Haacke said that Rice’s nature as a STEM-focused school may discourage
“Given the intensity of the expectations that are put on people at Rice, just socially and culturally, having something that doesn’t fit your resume, help you get an internship or a job after you graduate can be hard for some people to rationalize as being worth their time,” Haacke said.
Alvarez said that lack of engagement is because many student groups focus on single issues.
“There’s been a shift away from partisanship and toward issue-based organizing, such as SJP or Planned Parenthood Generation at Rice, which is for … people’s access to healthcare resources,” Alvarez said.
Haacke said that increasing political engagement on campus could benefit the community.
“I think Rice needs more political clubs on campus,” Haacke said. “I think that as a civic citizen, having political discussions and political energy on a college campus, it’s something that can be really fruitful.”
Like many years past, students will dress up and line up for a public party the Saturday evening before Halloween. These students will be less scantily clad — but we question if that is a good thing.
After the loss of Wiess College’s infamous Night of Decadence public party, ‘Masquerade After Dark’ is a fine theme, and probably the best option presented to Wiess students (Aprés Ski-yee, anyone?) We don’t envy the job of the Wiess socials, as their public will inevitably, and unfairly, be compared to past NODs.
However, we are concerned that Baker Beach’s ban on shirtlessness and swimsuit bottoms is an overstep of personal expression and is uncomfortable and difficult for socials and core teams to enforce. We understand the need to distance Halloween publics from NOD, and hosting at a different college is a good way to do so. However, policing students’ clothing is the wrong way to go about it.
First, the onus of deciding what is and isn’t appropriate clothing will probably
fall on security volunteers, resident associates or even police officers — it’s unclear. Imagine calling a classmate out of line due to their dress and seeing them the next morning; it’s uncomfortable and, frankly, not students’ places to police other students’ attire. Even worse is the optics of asking faculty or police officers to stare at students’ attire.
We understand the need to distance Halloween publics from NOD ... However, policing students’ clothing is the wrong way to go about it.
Additionally, of all things, why are swimsuit bottoms banned? In today’s age, no one bats an eye at swimsuit bottomesque fashion at festivals and concerts.
Do proponents of the swimsuit bottomban avert their eyes at the Rec pool? If the point of Baker Beach is to move away from the sexual connotations of NOD, why do so in a way that puts attention on the real or imagined sexual implications of students’ clothing?
The logistics of enforcing this ban are nigh-impossible: what makes swimsuit bottoms different from the bottom half of a one-piece? The wording of the ban technically prevents students from wearing tankinis, often touted as a modest bikini alternative — yet would allow one pieces, even those arguably more revealing than a tankini. Are spandex shorts allowed? What if they ride up and look like a swimsuit bottom from the back? Does this ban unfairly penalize curvier or larger students?
Administration is understandably concerned with students making the mistakes of NOD again. However, a party dress code does nothing to prevent overdrinking and students deserve trust in decisions as basic as what to wear.
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.
As I sit in my room, struggling to muster the energy to get out of bed, I can’t help but wonder how many others are silently fighting the same battle. It’s been almost two months since I lost access to my medication, and the toll is undeniable. Since 2022, a medication shortage has left thousands without life-saving treatment, forcing them to manage their symptoms alone. I don’t drink, smoke or vape — yet
here I am, trapped in a haze of withdrawal. The most infuriating part? I can’t fix this alone. So, I turned to my accommodations — the lifeline that should have supported me.
For the first month, I was too embarrassed to mention my withdrawal symptoms. I’d have to disclose intimate details about my medication to professors. I called every pharmacy in Houston, and the medication was always out of stock. I didn’t want to be seen as a “druggie,” yet I couldn’t access my accommodations without explaining why. That’s the problem. It wasn’t until my symptoms became unbearable that I emailed my professors. But how many others are silently suffering, too ashamed or too afraid to ask for help because they don’t
want to be judged?
Unfortunately, even with accommodations, the fight is far from over. Using them often becomes a battle. I’ve had professors demand personal details about why I needed an extension, completely unaware of how invasive that question can be.
Editor’s Note: This guest opinion has been cut off for print. Read the full article at ricethresher.org.
Charlie Cruz DUNCAN COLLEGE JUNIOR
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.
One year of genocide and scholasticide — the process of intentionally and systemically destroying education and knowledge — in Gaza has revealed Israel’s apparent imperialist mission of not just eradicating Gazan life, but also Palestinian pasts and futures. As we have the privilege of learning in newly built classrooms and Rice celebrates the re-opening of the academic quad, no
universities have been left unscathed in Gaza.
On Oct. 11, 2023, Israeli occupation forces decimated the Islamic University of Gaza’s library and main buildings, before proceeding to annihilate a range of libraries in the coming days and weeks. Archives have been destroyed. Teachers and students have been killed.
Though we are privileged to share knowledge within university spaces, we should not become comfortable with Rice’s complicity. As an institution that invests in “a portfolio of oil and gas royalities,” Rice has not only been culpable in the genocide and scholasticide in Gaza, but has directly profited from it. With a Chevron Energy Graduate Fellowship program and the Shell Auditorium in McNair Hall, these material
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and intellectual connections to the oil industry do not go unnoticed. Yet, Rice has not been transparent about the specificities of these investments other than labeling them as “natural resources,” leading to calls for disclosure and divestment from SJP activists across campus.
Editor’s Note: This guest opinion has been cut off for print. Read the full article at ricethresher.org.
Lauren Palmieri HISTORY PH.D. STUDENT
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THOMAS PICKELL THRESHER STAFF
Seeking re-election in 2024, Charles Spain ‘81 is Texas’s first openly gay justice of appeals. From his legislative efforts to his work with the Boy Scouts of America, Spain, a Will Rice College associate, said he has always valued bravery and fairness.
Spain said that personal opinions have no place in his decision-making.
“What people don’t understand about our courts is, if we’re doing our job, we really are calling balls and strikes,” Spain said. “The fact that I don’t like what happened is irrelevant.”
only sees the final decisions, Spain said the deliberative process can be contentious.
“Smart people can really get into it, and hopefully, the work product that goes out at the end leaves out the … sharp elbows and the disagreements and the frustrations,” said Spain.
Bravery is when you say things that need to be said that other people don’t want to hear.
Charles Spain
TEXAS 14TH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE
Spain’s role in the appellate court involves collaboration with fellow appellate judges. Judges make decisions in groups of three who may disagree on interpretations of the law. While the public
Spain said his convictions for fair treatment were shaped during his time at Rice, where he was initially a premedical student majoring in history. While working in a hospital as a sophomore, Spain said he saw firsthand how power imbalances could play out in real life, a realization that stayed with him throughout his legal career.
“I thought the doctors did not treat the nurses well. I thought the power dynamic was off,” said Spain. “I thought the doctors oftentimes were dismissive and rude to
HUGO GERBICH PAIS SENIOR WRITER
What do some alcoholic Korean businessmen and lying American politicians have in common? Minjae Kim, an assistant professor at the Jones School of Business, has an answer.
Kim, who has a Ph.D. in economic sociology, said both groups either uphold or break social norms to be perceived as authentic. His interdisciplinary work straddles business, sociology, economics and political science. His research is especially relevant this November, he says, as politicians try to amass trust with voters in the weeks before the Nov. 5 election.
While the subject matter of his research varies, ultimately Kim said he’s interested in strategic coordination and interaction — that is, how people work to curry favor in their environment. He studies issues from voter disinformation, to examining how female business founders present themselves to venture capitalists.
“His work on decision-making offers important insights … which in turn can inform policy making and systemic change,” Alina Zhong, one of Kim’s research assistants, said.
Social science research, Kim said, is often motivated by researchers attempting to explain a puzzling phenomenon. His interest in authenticity sparked when he observed the art market, noticing that wealthy “high-status” buyers would purchase “low-status” art from untrained artists.
“We found that high-status people might consume these kinds of ‘low-status products’ because they are trying to gain authenticity from [the product’s quality], not because of the art itself,” Kim said. “One of my colleagues … suggested we look at how [Donald] Trump gained his perception of authenticity.”
Kim and his collaborators examined the 2016 presidential election and voter perception of the Republican and Democratic nominees, Trump and Hillary Clinton.
“We were essentially interested in why some ‘lying demagogues’ like Trump appear authentic, and why other lying politicians like Clinton don’t,” Kim said.
“By breaking the established norm, you’re essentially sticking it to the political establishment,” Kim continued. “The more flagrantly and explicitly you break the norm, the more authentically you appear.”
Kim’s research can also help explain why voters respond to disinformation, he said.
“We surveyed Trump voters as well as non-Trump voters, and the Trump voters often recognized Trump’s statements as not based on objective evidence, but they still rated the statement as [“true”], because they saw the statement as pushing forward American priorities,” Kim said.
“They see [the statements] as effective in communicating a deeper truth, even though they know that it is not based on objective evidence.”
Throughout Kim’s research, he has found that this phenomenon affected both Republicans and Democrats, Clinton and Trump voters alike.
As voters consider who to vote for in this upcoming election, Kim’s advice is to consider policy, not just party.
“We often let [our] partisan identity dictate our choices, even though our policy positions might not necessarily align with those politicians,” Kim said. “Practicing stepping out of the partisan identity to see the policies as they are, would be my number one advice for anybody, including myself.”
me, not always, but some of them.’”
After graduating from Rice, Spain worked for the Boy Scouts of America, an organization he had a strong passion for since he became an Eagle Scout as a teenager. Though he hadn’t yet come out, he said the experience left him with a stark reminder of the systemic injustices that the LGBTQ+ community faced in the 80s.
“[My predecessor] picked up a couple of guys at White Rock Lake and took them back to his apartment, and they robbed and killed him,” Spain said. “The media and the District Attorney’s office [had] agreed that they’re going to keep this quiet.”
After graduating from Baylor Law School, Spain worked as a clerk for the Texas Supreme Court, where he pushed to remove Confederate symbols from the Texas state seal.
Before his work on the appellate court, Spain was one of the founders of the state bar’s LGBTQ+ committee, along with Connie Moore and Mitchell Katine. When the trio argued for the section to be added to the bar, it was initially rejected by the board of directors in 1996.
FROM FRONT PAGE ALUMNI IN POLITICS
“Now it’s about how bombastic you can be, how extreme you can be, in your politics that leads to more success, especially with redistricting and the influence of money in politics and the political primary process, which rewards extremism.”
Ed Emmett ’71 served as a county judge and is now a current Baker Institute fellow in energy and transportation, returning to the transportation issues which he specialized in, beginning during his time as a member of the Texas House of Representatives.
“The irony here is that so many people here know me as county judge, where I didn’t have that much to do with transportation,” Emmett said to the Thresher. “So, coming back to Rice and being able to re-establish myself and what was really my life’s work, except for that little 12 years as county judge, has been a godsend.”
“It was the first section of the State Bar of Texas that they ever turned down, “ said Spain.
Despite the initial rejection, Spain said Judge Norman Black encouraged them to persevere and re-apply. Two years later, in 1998, the Bar Association approved the creation of the LGBT Law Section, the first of its kind in the United States.
“He said, ‘Your job is to keep going. Because you almost got this done,’” Spain said. “He said, ‘I’m really disappointed at what happened,’ and then he went all Winston Churchill, and he said, ‘Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.’” Spain said he has also advocated to fix the omission of Martin Luther King Jr. Day from the U.S. Flag Code with the help of senator Ken Bentsen. Though it was initially rejected by the Republican Congress, it was eventually passed with support from Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Spain said his moment of triumph was cut short by the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Editor’s Note: This article has been cut for print. To read more, visit ricethresher. org.
an interest in politics, despite originally planning on law school.
Throughout a career, as Emmett has experienced, the needs of the people push officials to learn about specific issues, regardless of their formal role.
“When I first ran for state representative, I knocked on 19,404 doors,” Emmett said. “One of the big issues in the area I lived in, Kingwood, was they wanted an overpass. So I said, ‘Okay, you [vote for] me, I’ll get an overpass.’ Then I won. I had no clue how to get to an overpass.”
When I first ran for state representative, I knocked on 19,404 doors.
Ed Emmett
RICE UNIVERSITY ‘71, FORMER COUNTY JUDGE
As with many other Rice students with an interest in a career as a politician, his first steps on that path were running for college presidency.
“I am the oldest living president of Lovett College,” Emmett said. “I was a freshman running for treasurer. I got elected, and the reason is, I was on the tennis team and the jocks all voted for me.
Block voting — I mean, what can you say?”
This success only galvanized his aspirations, he said; beyond the unspoken rules of the college government, in fact.
“I ran for president [the next year], and I was the first person to run as a rising junior, to be president of a college,” Emmett said. “They said, ‘Wait, you can’t do that. You have to be a senior,’ and I said ‘No, that wasn’t written anywhere,’ and so I got elected as a junior.”
After graduating, he spent a year coaching tennis at a country club, then received a Master of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin to pursue
“We lived at a time when, regardless of party, if you became the known expert, whether it was in public education or transportation or redistricting or whatever, other members would listen to you. Now, I don’t think it’s like that so much.” He shares this willingness to work across party lines with another Owl familiar to the city of Houston.
Parker served as the 61st mayor of Houston from 2010 until 2016. However, for Parker, politics was not a goal but a result of unrelated jobs.
“When I went into the workforce, I went to work for an oil company because that was 80% of the Houston economy in 1978 when I graduated,” Parker said. “I was working to support my volunteer habit, and so for the first 10 years after graduating most of my volunteer time went to LGBT organizations, and then the next 10 years most of my volunteer time went to Civic Association and Housing United Way volunteering, those sorts of things.”
To Owls, both those aspiring to follow in her footsteps and those passionate about different careers entirely, Parker said she offers the same advice.
“The bare minimum of being involved, being a member of a democracy, is voting,” Parker said. “But I also think that the bare minimum should never be enough for any Rice student … Pick a campaign, pick a candidate, pick an issue and get involved. It is actually, I kid you not, it is easier to elect people who you align with on some issue than it is to get an officeholder to change their mind on something. So get out there.”
If you’re voting in Harris County for this year’s elections, your ballot will have competitive federal, state and local races, in addition to three propositions. To help you make your choice at the polls, editors at the Thresher put together a voting guide detailing the ballot’s candidates and proposals.
Donald Trump (R)
The former U.S. president and real estate mogul is aiming for a return to the White House, four years after losing his reelection bid to current president Joe Biden. Trump’s major policy goals include expanded tax cuts and initiating the country’s “largest deportation operation” in history.
Kamala Harris (D)
The current U.S. vice president took over the top of the Democratic ticket after Biden dropped out of the race in July. Formerly a U.S. senator and a California prosecutor, Harris’ platform focuses on restoring abortion access and remedying a national housing shortage.
Chase Oliver (L)
Jill Stein (G)
The political activist is running his first presidential campaign on a platform of minimal government interference. The Gazette has described him as a “pro-gun, pro-police reform, pro-choice Libertarian.”
A physician, three-time Green Party nominee and former candidate for Massachusetts governor, Stein is running a campaign pushing for anti-war policies and a “Real Green New Deal.”
Texas voters will elect one person to represent their state at the federal level for six years alongside Republican Senator John Cornyn, who is not up for election until 2026 as term lengths in the Senate are staggered. The unusually contested race could determine whether Democrats keep control of the Senate or lose it to the Republicans after this election cycle.
Ted Cruz (R)
Incumbent Cruz is running for a third six-year term. As a former solicitor general, Cruz has been ranked as one of the chamber’s most conservative members. He came under fire in 2021 when he took a trip to Mexico during the Texas freeze — an act that his opponent, Colin Allred, has invoked in the hopes of persuading voters to deny him a third term.
Colin Allred (D)
This former NFL player and current congressman from Dallas is pitching himself as “the honest, pragmatic” alternative to incumbent Senator Ted Cruz. As senator, Allred would support raising the minimum wage, codifying Roe v. Wade into law and capping prescription drug costs.
Ted Brown (L)
This self-employed insurance adjuster from the Austin metro area presents himself as a clean, “principled alternative” to the two-party system. As senator, Brown would introduce legislation repealing the federal income tax and abolishing the Department of Education, the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Drug Administration.
Texas voters in District 7 will elect one person to represent them for a two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives. With all 435 House seats up for grabs every two years, this district will be closely watched as Democrats fight to regain control after losing it in 2022.
Caroline Kane (R)
Kane, a Houston-based entrepreneur, is running to unseat Lizzie Fletcher by promoting a pro-business, limited-government agenda. Kane criticizes the Biden administration’s economic policies and has pledged to reduce government regulations, expand border security measures and enhance energy production in Texas.
Lizzie
The incumbent congresswoman, Fletcher has built a reputation as a centrist Democrat focused on economic development and healthcare access. Fletcher positions herself as a bridge between business interests and progressive values — she voted to protect the right to an abortion after Roe v. Wade’s fall and secured funding for flood mitigation projects in Houston.
Voters in this district, encompassing Rice’s Inner and Outer Loop, River Oaks, Bellaire and the Texas Medical Center, will have the option to elect one person to represent them for a two-year term in the Texas House of Representatives.
Audrey Douglas (R)
Douglas, a consulting firm CEO, is the Republican candidate for state representative to oust Ann Johnson. Douglas “does not appear to be running a substantive campaign,” the Houston Chronicle reported, and may not reside in the district she’s running in.
Ann Johnson (D)
This former human trafficking prosecutor and current law professor defeated her opponent in a contentious race in 2020. Johnson, a Democrat who is running for re-election, has fought vigorously to protect reproductive rights in Texas after the Dobbs decision. She has also crafted legislation circumventing Texas’ attempts to ban gender-affirming care for minors, and worked to get new criminal courts for Harris County.
Voters in Texas’ 15th Senate District will elect a new state senator to represent them for a four-year term in Austin. The race has drawn attention for its potential impact on key state issues, including healthcare, education and criminal justice reform. As Republicans push to consolidate power in the state legislature, Democrats hope to flip seats like District 15, making it a battleground in the larger fight for the direction of Texas politics.
Joseph L. Trahan (R)
Businessman Trahan is running for Texas Senate District 15, framing his campaign as a fresh start for the district. A longtime Houston resident, Trahan emphasizes conservative policies such as strengthening border security, ending property taxes and expanding parental choice in education.
Molly Cook (D)
Cook, a registered nurse and community activist from Houston, won a special election in May to fill the Senate vacancy left by now-Houston mayor John Whitmire. The first openly LGBTQ+ candidate elected to the Texas Senate and the first woman to represent the district, Cook is vying to win a full term. She presents herself as a grassroots candidate fighting for working families, and advocates for Medicaid expansion, abortion rights and a ceasefire in Gaza.
Texas voters will choose three out of the nine justices on the state Supreme Court, each of whom will serve six-year terms. As the court of last resort for Texas’ civil matters, these justices have decided on hot-button issues — most notably the Kate Cox case, which denied an abortion to a woman carrying a baby with a fatal condition. As of at least the last election cycle in 2018, all Supreme Court judgeships have been held by Republicans.
Jimmy Blacklock (R)
Incumbent Blacklock was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott in 2018, going on to defeat Democrat Steven Kirkland in his first election to the post. He previously worked in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice under President George W. Bush.
DaSean Jones (D)
Army veteran Jones is a judge in Harris County’s 180th District Court. He is an adjunct professor in Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Jones prioritizes equity in sentencing and countering far-right extremism.
John Devine (R)
Incumbent Devine is a staunch supporter of the anti-abortion movement, and has proudly said he was arrested 37 times for protesting at abortion clinics. Devine has faced criticism from Democrats and GOP peers alike, and has often described church-state separation as a “myth.”
Christine Vinh Weems (D)
Weems is currently a judge in Harris County’s 281st Civil District Court. A child of Vietnamese immigrants, Weems is campaigning to bring “impartiality, fairness and balance to the court.” She issued an opinion in 2022 that blocked Texas from enforcing a 1925 abortion ban, and has been endorsed by the reproductive rights organization EMILYs List.
Jane Bland (R)
Bland, the incumbent, was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court by Gov. Abbott in 2019. She previously served as a justice in the First District Court of Appeals.
Bonnie Lee Goldstein (D)
Goldstein is currently a justice in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, elected in 2020. She previously served as a presiding judge in the 44th Judicial District Court, and was named the legal counselor to the Mexican Consulate in Houston.
David Roberson (L)
Roberson currently works as a tax attorney to monetize tax incentives, most notably for research and development. Roberson supports increased funding for public defenders.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state’s court of last resort for criminal matters and is composed of a presiding judge and eight judges. The presiding judge is selected by voters at large and serves for a six-year term.
David Schenck (R)
Schenck is a former appellate attorney who has served on the Dallas Court of Appeals, as Deputy Attorney General and as Chairman of the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct. He is backed by attorney general Ken Paxton.
Holly Taylor (D)
Taylor currently works as a prosecutor with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. She advocates for respecting constitutional rights, supportive environments and enhancing court procedures for fair and efficient case resolution.
Gina Parker (R)
Parker has served as Assistant District Attorney and chair of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. She identifies as a constitutional conservative and, if elected, would prioritize community safety, preserving the rule of law and ensuring justice for victims.
Nancy Mulder (D)
Mulder is currently presiding judge over Texas Criminal District Court 6, and has also worked as a criminal defense attorney in private practice. She has chaired local release programs in Dallas County, and her platform emphasizes fairness, preparedness and dignity.
Lee Finley (R)
Finley, endorsed by Donald Trump, says if elected he will strictly interpret the constitution and honor the rule of law. He has been a criminal lawyer for 20 years and is a Marine Corps veteran.
Chika Anyiam (D)
Anyiam has been a judge in Dallas County’s Criminal District Court since 2018 and has 20 years of legal experience. Anyiam was the center of a controversy in early 2022 when she lowered bail for a road rage shooting suspect whose defense attorney gave political donations to Anyiam, but after public backlash she raised the bail and then recused herself from cases involving the suspect.
Harris County voters will elect a judge who oversees cases in the 1st Court of Appeals, an intermediate appellate court with jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases from 10 counties. These judges also preside over cases where the death penalty is imposed and cases seeking “extraordinary relief,” or where monetary compensation is insufficient to address an issue.
Jennifer Caughey (R)
Caughey, who previously served as an appointed judge in Place 9 until she lost her election to Democrat Pete Kelly in 2018, is running as the Republican nominee to return to the 1st Court of Appeals.
Brendetta Scott (D)
Scott, the Democratic nominee, is also leaning on her years of experience — although in her case, as an attorney in various legal fields with a “passion for justice … [and a] commitment to fairness and integrity.”
Andrew Johnson (R)
Johnson has spent over five years of his law career working for the Houston Courts of Appeals and is a textualist who believes an appellate judge should interpret the law as written. He has almost 17 years of experience as an appellate attorney in private practice.
Sarah Beth Landau (D)
Landau, the incumbent who has held the position since 2019, is a former public defender who has 20 years of legal experience and has handled more than 400 appeals.
Clint Morgan (R)
Morgan, Harris County’s current assistant district attorney, has over a decade of criminal appellate law experience. He has pledged to focus strictly on the law, maintaining that personal beliefs or biases have no place in judicial decisions.
Julie Countiss (D)
The incumbent has served in the 1st Court of Appeals since 2018. With more than 20 years of legal experience, Countiss has reviewed cases from civil, criminal, probate, family law and juvenile matters.
Kristin Guiney (R)
Guiney currently serves as the presiding judge over the 183rd Criminal District Court. Guiney is the executive director of Angela House, a nonprofit that helps women reenter society after incarceration.
Richard Hightower (D)
Hightower, the incumbent, is a fifth-generation lawyer who previously had his own law firm representing the interests of public school districts. Hightower has held this office since 2019.
Susanna Dokupil (R)
Dokupil, who has been endorsed by Gov. Abbott, has been a lawyer in Texas for over 20 years. She is currently special counsel in the Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s office. Dokupil’s website states that her candidacy represents a “departure from partisan politics.”
Amber Boyd-Cora (D)
Boyd-Cora, currently a lawyer focusing on construction and real estate, defeated incumbent Peter Kelly in the March Democratic primary. Boyd-Cora said her candidacy is dedicated to “ensuring that our legal system serves everyone equally” and if elected, will prioritize “transparency, accountability and responsiveness.”
Chad Bridges (R)
Bridges currently presides over the 458th District Court. He previously worked as an assistant district attorney in Harris County, specifically regarding post-conviction death penalty litigation. During this time, Bridges helped develop a program to allow low-level narcotics defendants to enter a treatment plan instead of standing trial. He also wrote a grant creating a legal team to identify and assist those at risk of domestic violence in Fort Bend County.
Velda Renita Faulkner (D)
Faulkner has served as an attorney for over 30 years. Her goal is to bring more diversity to the 14th Court of Appeals and better represent the people living in her district. If elected, she said she aims to provide a unique perspective on appellate cases and encourage mentorship programs in the district.
Tonya McLaughlin (R)
McLaughlin is a former felony prosecutor and criminal defense attorney that runs her own law practice. She has worked in the Harris County District Attorney’s office, and points to her experience handling over 100 appeals cases as a qualification to serve on the 14th Court of Appeals.
Charles Spain (D)
Spain, the incumbent — and an associate at Will Rice College — has served as appellate judge since 2018, when he was elected as the first openly LGBTQ+ appellate judge in Texas. Prior to this, he worked as a staff attorney for 23 years in different appellate courts, including the Texas Supreme Court.
Maritza Michele Antu (R)
Antu has served as a prosecutor, defense attorney and District Court judge. Her platform emphasizes the importance of providing effective legal representation for low-income individuals, favors nonpartisan judicial races and supports the creation of the new business court to specialize in complex business cases.
Frances Bourliot (D)
Bourliot, the incumbent, was elected to the 14th Court of Appeals in 2018, and was the first Asian American woman elected to the bench. She has worked as a public defender, and represented low-income and death row inmates with the Texas Innocence Network.
Katy Boatman (R)
Boatman is an appellate lawyer at a Texas-based law firm, and has clerked for the Texas Supreme Court and 5th Circuit of Appeals. Her campaign emphasizes impartiality, consistency and fairness as judicial ideals.
Meagan Hassan (D)
Hassan, the incumbent, was elected to the 14th Court of Appeals in 2018, and identifies as a progressive constitutionalist. Her platform promotes the courts’ role as a check on the legislative and administrative branches of government, and she advocates equal application of the laws, regardless of partisanship.
Brad Hart (R)
Hart has worked as a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s office, where he notably secured the conviction of a man who shot a Houston police officer. Hart also served as Judge of the 230th Criminal District Court.
Margaret 'Meg' Poisssant (D)
Poissant, the incumbent, has many years of experience as a Texas trial lawyer, specializing in personal injury, wrongful death and business law cases, while also providing pro bono services.
Civil district court judges must be at least 25, licensed to practice law in Texas for at least four years, and Harris County residents for at least two years. Judicial vacancies in district courts are filled by appointment of the governor. The judge of the 11th District Court presides over jury and bench trials, along with pre-trial matters. This court hears civil cases.
Nile Bailey Copeland (R)
Copeland has been an associate municipal judge for the City of Houston, a partner at a Houston-based law firm and a commercial and residential realtor in Texas. While he ran for Texas 55th District Court he was defeated by Latosha Payne (D) in the general election.
Kristen Hawkins (D)
Hawkins, the incumbent, was first elected back in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Prior to her election, she practiced general civil litigation and represented individuals applying for Social Security disability.
Lee Kathryn Shuchart (R)
Shuchart, an attorney with nearly 40 years of experience, currently practices law with a focus on insurance defense and personal injury cases.
Fredericka Phillips (D)
Fredericka Philips, first elected in 2016, is running for her third term in this position. With over 17 years of experience as a civil litigator, she has previously represented both individuals and businesses in state and federal courts.
Sonya L. Aston (R)
Aston, a sixth-generation Houstonian, currently serves as general counsel to state senator Paul Bettencourt. Aston has a legal background in business, construction, environmental and election law.
Jeralynn Manor (D)
First elected in 2020, Manor has nearly 20 years of experience in judicial matters, focusing on fee and escrow matters, helping Texans achieve homeownership as a fee attorney for title companies.
Will Archer (R)
Archer is running for a seat on the Houston 1st Court of Appeals, bringing over 31 years of legal experience. A fith-generation Houstonian, Archer says he takes pride in his deep community roots and extensive public service. He has received endorsements from over 100 practicing attorneys.
Michael Gomez (D)
Gomez is running for re-election to the Houston 1st Court of Appeals. Serving the citizens of Harris County for four terms, Gomez says he emphasizes accessibility and efficiency in his court.
Michael Landrum (R)
Landrum is certified in civil trial and appellate law, with prior experience in serving as the judge for both the 164th and 113th district courts.
Nicole Perdue (D)
Perdue, with over 20 years of civil trial experience, first started her career in employment litigation and later expanded to other civil matters.
District Judge, 164th
Aaron Gabriel Adams (R)
Adams previously ran for the 151st District Court in 2016 but lost the primary. He has been practicing law in Texas for 19 years.
Cheryl Elliott Thornton (D)
Incumbent Thornton was elected to the 164th District in 2020. She was previously the senior assistant county attorney for Harris County.
Bruce Bain (R)
Bain is running for a seat on the Houston 1st Court of Appeals, bringing over 30 years of civil trial experience in areas such as commercial, constitutional, personal injury, business and real estate law.
Ursula A. Hall (D)
Hall, first elected to the bench in 2016, is running for re-election to continue serving on the Houston 1st Court of Appeals. Hall brings nearly two decades of judicial experience, including 11 years as an associate municipal judge for the city of Houston.
Emily Munoz Detoto (R)
Munoz Detoto, a fourth-generation Texan, has been practicing criminal law for 27 years and has owned her own firm since 2001. She is board-certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Robert Johnson (D)
Johnson is the incumbent judge. He was elected to the bench in 2016 and has over 20 years of experience in criminal law. While he began his career in the private sector, he opened his own practice specializing in criminal law.
Nathan J. Milliron (R)
Milliron has been practicing law for 20 years, covering a range of civil matters from breach of contract actions to real estate.
Elaine Palmer (D)
Palmer, the incumbent, has served as a judge since 2012. She has experience in private practice, district courts and state courts. Outside of court, she was an adjunct professor in Westwood College’s paralegal program.
Brian Staley (R)
Staley has 27 years of legal experience and owns a small retail business with his wife. Prior to law school, he worked as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency.
Tracy D. Good (D)
Good was previously an Associate Judge in Harris County Family District Court 309th for three years, and previously worked in private practice. He is a certified public accountant and internal auditor.
Michele Oncken (R)
Oncken has worked as a prosecutor for 30 years in Harris County. She supports probation, as opposed to incarceration, for some non-violent offenses or first-time offenders.
Allison Jackson-Mathis (D)
After starting her career as a public defender in Palau, Jackson Mathis worked in New Mexico and Washington, especially with Indigenous communities. In Texas, she has worked as a felony trial attorney and as representation for border operation defendants.
Aaron Burdette (R)
Incumbent Burdette used to serve as general counsel for U.S. LawShield and assistant district attorney for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for 14 years.
Vivian King (D)
King currently works at the Harris County District Attorney’s office, and has previously served as a prosecutor and private practice attorney. Outside of court, King co-stars in a reality television show about Black female lawyers in Houston.
Lori DeAngelo (R)
DeAngelo, appointed by Gov. Abbott in 2023, is running for reelection. With over 25 years of experience in criminal law — 20 years as a prosecutor and five as a criminal defense attorney — she has reduced the court’s case backlog by nearly 40% since her appointment.
Stacy Allen Barrow (D)
As a current felony associate judge for the Harris County Criminal District Courts, Barrow has handled over 1,500 felony cases and has experience in criminal law.
Matthew Peneguy (R)
From 2019 to 2023, incumbent Peneguy was an assistant U.S. attorney in the criminal division for the U.S. Attorney’s Southern District of Texas office. Prior to his work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was an assistant district attorney in Harris County for 13 years.
Carvana Cloud (D)
Cloud has worked as a prosecutor, leading the Special Victims Bureau. She co-founded Houston’s Domestic Abuse Response Team, established a social justice think tank and owns a family and immigration law firm.
Dan Lemkuil (R)
Lemkuil has operated his own family law practice since 2006, and previously served as an associate judge in the 310th district from 2000-2006.
Lillian Henny Alexander (D)
With 13 years of experience specializing in family law and divorce litigation, Henny Alexander has built her career focusing on child custody, support and visitation disputes.
County criminal court at law judges preside over cases less severe than those in district courts. Cases include misdemeanors in which the allowed fine exceeds $500 or county jail time is less than one year, appeals on decisions from municipal and justice of the peace courts and appeals for license reinstatement after driving under the influence.
Linda Garcia (R)
Garcia was a Criminal Court No. 16 judge in 2016. She has over 20 years of legal experience, including as an assistant district attorney and in the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, which makes parole decisions for inmates.
Ashley Mayes Guice (D)
Guice is a former judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law 3 and is currently a staff attorney for county court judges. In 13 years of practice, Guice has worked as a private defense attorney, a prosecutor, a public defender and an appointed judge.
Probate courts oversee the execution of wills and supervise the distribution of property and estates.
Ray Black Jr. (R)
An attorney, Black Jr. has three decades of experience litigating trust, guardianship and estate settlements. He counsels for a private Texas-based firm.
Fransheneka ‘Fran’ Watson (D)
Watson has practiced law for 15 years, with experience in contracts, consumer law and estate planning. She worked in private practice until 2023, and said she dedicated 30% of her practice to pro bono services.
The district attorney is the county’s lead prosecutor, operating the branch that investigates and prosecutes misdemeanor and felony crimes.
Dan Simons (R)
A former assistant district attorney, Simons had an 84% conviction rate during his tenure. He believes the county needs a “prosecutor, not a politician” and is running on a platform of restoring community trust in the criminal justice system.
Sean Teare (D)
In March’s Democratic primaries, Teare unseated Kim Ogg in a “blowout loss” for the former district attorney. Last year, Ogg faced criticism for launching criminal investigations into people who “pissed her off” — resulting in no charges, but hundreds of thousands of taxpayer-shouldered legal bills. Teare says he’ll work to bolster transparency and accountability, and is eager to restore trust in the district attorney’s office.
Voters in Harris County will elect a Sheriff for a four-year term to head the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. As the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in the county, the sheriff is responsible for operating the Harris County Jail and providing law enforcement services to county residents.
Mike Knox (R)
Knox is a former city councilor and police officer running to unseat Gonzalez. Knox has said he would “prioritize tackling human trafficking/drug smuggling” and increase law enforcement staffing and presence. He would also reinstate the controversial 287(g) program, which would empower sheriff’s deputies to perform immigration enforcement duties normally assigned to federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ed Gonzalez (D)
Former Houston Police Department sergeant and incumbent Sheriff Ed Gonzalez is running for a third consecutive term. Gonzalez has pledged that he will continue to advocate for criminal justice reform and accountability, such as requiring body cameras for deputies and jail detention officers and providing support services to incarcerated women.
The county attorney represents the county government, flood control district, toll road authority and 9-1-1 emergency network in all civil cases.
Jacqueline Lucci Smith (R)
Smith is an attorney and former civil court judge. She has previously opposed a pilot $500 basic income program started earlier this year by County Judge Lina Hidalgo as “[the pitfall] of woke agendas and handouts.”
Christian D. Menefee (D)
Running for a second term, Menefee is the youngest person and Harris County’s first African American elected to the position. He has waged legal battles for environmental justice and against restrictive voting laws. He most recently filed lawsuits against two gas stations in the Houston area after they were accused of price gouging following Hurricane Beryl.
The governing body of each of Texas' 254 counties is Commissioners Court. Each county has five members, consisting of a county judge and four commissioners — together, they manage county budgets, tax rates and infrastructure.
Gerry Vander-Lyn (R)
Vander-Lyn’s platform focuses on issues like public safety, mental health, homelessness and government transparency. She hopes to challenge her opponent’s lengthy tenure in public office.
Rodney Ellis (D)
Ellis, the incumbent, is running for a third term and is currently the longest-serving commissioner. He previously worked as a state senator and a member of the Houston City Council. As commissioner, Ellis has taken a leading role on issues such as misdemeanor bail reform, criminal justice and equitable allocation of resources.
The county tax assessor-collector collects and distributes property taxes to local governments, in addition to registering and maintaining voter rolls for the county. They also collect hotel occupancy taxes, perform vehicle registrations and renew liquor licenses in the county.
Steve Radack (R)
Radack was a county commissioner from Precinct 3 for nearly 30 years. He says he would serve as a check of accountability to the Democrat-led county government and has pledged to increase full-time staffing.
Annette Ramirez (D)
Ramirez is currently the assistant general counsel for Aldine Independent School District and a first-generation Mexican American immigrant. She has pledged to work with officials to establish county online voter registration, upgrade and maintain technology, and increase access to resources that help homeowners deal with difficult property tax burdens.
The railroad commission is a three-person regulatory agency that oversees Texas’ oil and gas industry. One seat on the commission is up for election this cycle.
Christi Craddick (R)
Craddick, the incumbent, is the current chair and has served on the commission since 2012. She is a former attorney from Midland who is critical of progressive policies that undermine the economic success of the state’s oil and gas industry. Craddick advocates for private property rights, limited government regulation and investment in new technology within the oil and gas field.
Katherine Culbert (D)
Culbert is a process safety engineer and small business leader whose top priorities are enhancing safety protocols, holding corporations responsible for orphan wells and greater transparency and accountability in the commission. Culbert also has experience as a delegate for the League of Women Voters and advocates for policies to mitigate climate change.
Hawk Dunlap (L)
Dunlap has 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, including well control, drilling and risk management. His priorities include preventing groundwater contamination by plugging wells effectively, stricter regulations and increased accountability.
Eddie Espinoza (G)
Espinoza is a U.S. army veteran and public school teacher. As the Green Party candidate, he prioritizes environmental and public health policies. If elected, he would work to phase out the fossil fuel industry, protect freshwater resources, lower energy costs for all Texans and reform campaign financing regulations for railroad commissioners.
County School Trustee, Position 3, At Large
The Board of Trustees develops and votes on policies regarding the Harris County Department of Education. The Department of Education supports school districts in Harris County by providing school supplies, therapy and other services.
Danielle Dick (R)
If elected, Dick would increase funding for under-resourced schools and integrate mental health services. Her spouse, Eric Dick — an insurance attorney known for billboards featuring slogans like “Hire a Dick” — is an incumbent board trustee. Earlier this year, he was fined $250,000 for mishandling lawsuits as an attorney as well as $40,000 for incorrect campaign finance filings while running for local offices.
Richard Cantu (D)
Cantu has over 30 years of public service experience managing economic development and public safety. His platform prioritizes mental health support, youth outreach and gun violence reduction — informed largely by his daughter, Aleksis, who died in a shooting three years ago.
HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT, PROPOSITION A
• Prop A aims to increase investment in Harris County’s flood control infrastructure.
• Voting for would provide funding for infrastructure repairs to Harris County’s drainage channels, including sediment removal, erosion repairs and concrete replacements.
• The proposition would give an additional $100 million to the Flood Control District for maintenance, for a total maintenance budget of $241 million.
• Taxes would increase by around $44 each year for the owner of a $274,000 home with a 20% homestead exemption.
HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, PROPOSITION A
• Voting for this bond proposal, split into two parts, would allocate a total $4.4 billion in bonds to HISD as part of a property tax increase. Proposition A advocates for $3.96 billion toward infrastructure upgrades.
• This bond proposal is universally contested, facing criticism from both Democrats and Republicans alike. The Houston Chronicle’s Editorial Board has urged voters to select ‘no.’
• While many agree on the importance of funding public education, many have also lost trust in state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles amid allegations of financial mismanagement.
• Simply put, voters share one concern: They don’t trust someone “wholly unaccountable to the community he serves” to use the money wisely.
SCHOOL DISTRICT, PROPOSITION B
• HISD’s bond proposal has been split into two packages, one for approximately $4 billion and the other for approximately $440 million. Proposition B would redirect the some $400 million toward technology upgrades in the district.
• The opinions, however, stay consistent across both propositions. Proponents believe that improvement to HISD’s infrastructure is needed desperately
• However, critics from across the political spectrum display a lack of trust in HISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ ability to allocate the bond money effectively.
Election season is in high gear: Campaign signs litter front yards, texts from candidates blow up phones and in a new class, students make their own election bid. In POLI 224: How to Run for Office, students create mini-political campaigns, learning the realities of being a candidate as they go.
The class, taught by social policy analysis lecturer Elizabeth Vann, walks students through running for election. Rather than a readings and lecturedbased syllabus, Vann said she wanted to craft an experiential course, enhanced by visits from local candidates, officials and advisors.
“I wanted Rice students in the course to be able to imagine future pathways for themselves,” Vann said. “If they really are interested in working in the space, having personal connections is great.”
Class speakers range from Annise Parker ’78, former Houston mayor, to Josh Earnest ’97, former White House press secretary and current university trustee. Vann said the first visitors were Rice alumni who ran for office in Texas, and they discussed the motivations behind their candidacies.
on identifying potential voters and increasing voter turnout. They hear from former candidates, including those not elected, to help with these projects.
“Raj Salhotra (’13), [a Houston City Council candidate], didn’t win his campaign,” Vann said. “But he shared with the students early on some regrets he had about how that played out and maybe what he would do differently. This is an opportunity at a sort of high level.”
Throughout the semester, students have the freedom to make decisions about aspects of their campaign after hearing insights from speakers like Salhotra.
“The class design is really unique,” Nina Wallach, a Martel College sophomore, said. “We’ve had a lot of autonomy to decide what we want to run for and our strategies.
“The guests that we’ve had have been really cool to learn about why people run for office, what makes a more successful campaign and what it’s like to be in office.”
But despite the class’s name, not all students want to run for office.
The class design is really unique ... We’ve had a lot of autonomy to decide what we want to run for and our strategies.
‘Get out there and vote’: Poll workers on volunteering
such a cool feeling that I personally was able to help.”
Nina Wallach MARTEL COLLEGE
“Is it stuff that happens at home? Is there something you’ve always wanted? … These [questions] engage students in the conversation of why they might be interested in running for office,” Vann said.
These discussions help students build their own candidate biographies, which guide their campaign goals, Vann said.
“[The] candidate biography is a way for them to think about the person who has big ambitions, and they run initially because they’re thinking about what’s next, versus someone who runs because they’re committed to maybe an issue space or a particular community,” Vann said.
Additionally,
SOPHOMORE
“I did think most students would have political ambitions of their own,” Vann said. “I would say fewer than 50% of the class is interested in running for office, and that’s great.”
The class is a prime opportunity for students interested in working behind the scenes on political campaigns, Vann said. Students work in groups in class, so they get a sense of the collaborative work that goes on beyond the candidate.
Even if students have no interest in political work, Vann believes students can gain valuable knowledge about elections — and said students in the class are much more likely to recognize the importance of primary elections, races with exceedingly low turnout.
“For me, that is a win for this class,” Vann said. “If [students] have zero interest in running [for office], but they’re now primary voters, I’m thrilled.”
While most students only spend a few minutes at the polls on election day, some students are at the polls for up to eight hours, directing lines and handing out ballots as student poll workers.
Katherine Jeng, a Texas civic ambassador and democracy fellow for the Campus Vote Project, has worked the polls for the past five elections. Jeng said she noticed a lack of voter literacy on Rice’s campus, which inspired her to become a poll clerk for the first time.
“I think I’ve also always been really passionate about social justice and how we can use our voices for change,” Jeng said. “And as I’ve gotten to Rice, I saw how people didn’t really care about the election. There wasn’t a lot of voter awareness on campus, especially with elections coming up. And so that was something I really wanted to fix.”
Jeng said that her time as a poll worker helped her make voting in elections a priority in her life.
“Being an election judge or election clerk has made me even more civically aware, and I vote in every election now,” Jeng said. “I vote in the primaries, I will vote in local elections, and that’s been a really big point in my life to make sure I get out there and vote for every election.”
Jeng said her favorite responsibility is demystifying the voting process for students and helping them to cast their vote.
“I really like having people vote and learn how to cast their ballots, making sure that they know who they’re voting for and streamlining the process,” Jeng said. “I just really liked helping them exercise their [right to] vote in any way possible.”
Poll clerks can also apply to be a presiding judge, who oversees election day logistics. Karyn Fu is the current presiding judge for Rice’s polling location. Fu said she has been preparing for the presidential election for months, ensuring that poll clerks are trained, the Welcome Center is set up and voting registration is being promoted at Rice.
“I think I also just felt very proud because in high school I was pretty politically involved,” Fu, a Martel College sophomore, said. “After the elections, tearing everything down, you [see] how many people voted. We’re able to see how many students voted as well. I think seeing that we were able to help thousands of people vote … it was
Fu said at first, she found the role intimidating.
“There was a lot of media coverage around it, a lot of people were voting, so I was like, ‘Oh my God. I can’t mess up,’” Fu said. “It was something really scary at first, but with time, I realized that, yes, it is a big responsibility, but with that, you have so much power to facilitate people’s access to voting and make sure that elections and voting are accessible to everyone.”
While being a presiding judge or a poll clerk carries responsibility, Fu said that anyone can be a poll clerk or presiding judge. Historically, poll clerks have been older citizens, but Fu said that anyone can get trained and help in elections, which is what makes Rice’s on-campus polling location unique.
“People see who’s working the polls, and it’s old people, so they assume there’s a bunch of qualifications, a bunch of things you have to do or a big time commitment to do it. But it’s really not,” Fu said. “So being able to have young people help other young people go vote is really special.”
Veronica Reyna, the associate director of Civic Engagement at the Center for Civic Engagement at Rice, said the student poll worker program is a way to not only uphold one’s responsibility to vote but also one’s obligation to create accessible and high-quality elections.
“There’s a responsibility for participation in making our democracy work, and one side of it is voting, the other side is the implementation of high-quality elections, and that is an equal responsibility,” Reyna said. “There’s a lot of misinformation about the quality of our elections. One of the best ways to make sure that they’re free and fair, accessible and they run smoothly is to participate in them and kind of do your part and make it so.”
Fu and Jeng said they are especially excited about voting this term — their first presidential elections as poll workers — which will be the most hectic election either of them have ever experienced.
“I like it when the lines are really long, if that makes sense,” Jeng said. “This year is going to be the craziest, because it’s a presidential election, and I’ve never witnessed a presidential election … I always am so empowered by the people who are willing to stay in line and wait. People who are like ‘This is important to me.’”
JULIANA LIGHTSEY
A&E EDITOR
While notable for its eclectic artist lineups and Texas weather, the Austin City Limits music festival is also known for its unique festival fashion. This year’s festivalgoers balanced comfort in the hot sun, fashion trends, such as mini-shorts and
riding boots, and matching the unique style of headliners such as Chappell Roan.
Many ACL attendees opted for pieces tying in Western or Texan elements with traditional festival fashion, such as shorts paired with statement belts and cowboy boots. Even those from outside of Texas incorporated some quintessentially Southern elements into their outfits.
“Everyone’s excited to be in Texas, to go to a festival in Austin … even the performers are in Texas gear,” Styra Goldblatt said.
Goldblatt wore a sheer lace skirt paired with a studded belt, black tube top and brown cowboy boots. Although Goldblatt hails from San Antonio, Texas, she attended with three friends from Maryland, New Jersey and Chicago.
“I’m wearing denim on denim, so very Texas vibe with cowboy boots,” Samantha Topf, who attended the festival with Goldblatt, said.
The group of four said that they all dressed according to their own taste, but ended up appearing stylistically cohesive, with dark brown and denim tones tying their outfits together.
When asked about any fashion trends they noticed at this year’s ACL Festival, Goldblatt pointed to a surge in the use of statement belts.
“Definitely a chunky belt, in any variation,” Goldblatt said. “I’m already seeing so many and they’re really cool — I
followed that trend.”
Tracking the evolving festival fashion over the years, some attendees noticed a greater emphasis on function and comfort, particularly for hot afternoon concerts.
“I feel like people have gotten more comfortable with wearing less over the years,” Ava Riley said.
This year was Riley’s fourth time attending ACL, and she wore a brown lace top with a cutoff denim skirt. Riley attended with her friend Maggie Singleton, who said this was her first year at the festival.
Singleton noted a popular trend in the tiny, ruffled shorts that many chose to include in their outfits at ACL.
Todd said he engages his fans throughout his shows, fulfilling one lucky fan’s request to sign their face at his ACL set. However, he said he tries to stray away from letting his live performances influence his writing process.
“I never really played shows before … since I’ve done my tour and done like 60-something shows this year, I have now gone back in the studio and been like, ‘How is this going to work live?’” Todd said. “So I try not to think about it because to me it’s the song first … When it comes to the show, they’ll love it if they love the song.”
Todd said his family gave him an early head start to becoming a professional musician.
I don’t want to do the same thing over and over again. I want to be great, you know?
Malcolm Todd SINGER/SONGWRITER
“My whole family’s musical, my mom’s super musical, [my] dad loves music,” Todd said. “So there was a lot of music around my house … and I just picked [the guitar] up in the pandemic, and it came naturally to me.”
While his mother came from a musical theater family, Todd’s brand of indie pop blended with R&B melodies was heavily influenced by the playful yet melancholic rhythms of the bedroom pop and alternative R&B titans of the 2010s.
Because of how formative fellow singer Omar Apollo’s music was for him, Todd said that his recent opportunity to open for Apollo felt like a surreal, fullcircle moment.
“It was so cool, he’s amazing, he’s such a great guy, and he was so cool to me, his whole team was amazing,” Todd said. “As I was on tour, I’d think back to moments in high school when he was doing what I’m doing now and how excited I was about it. And now here I am, doing it too — damn, that’s crazy.”
Houston holds a special place in Todd’s heart, he said. His recent show there on Apollo’s tour not only cemented his bond with fans, but also fueled his excitement for future performances in the city.
Singleton herself sported red checkered bloomers, and a denim vest paired with brown cowboy boots. When asked if the range of artists performing – and their respective styles – influenced her festival fashion at all, Singleton said that she felt like each day’s lineup impacted her stylistic choices.
“I’ve seen a lot of the bloomers, the shorts,” Singleton said. “The little belts are a big trend too.”
“I feel like the days are different types of things,” Singleton said. “Like for Chappell Roan [on Sunday], I’m wearing pink and all the fun stuff.”
Regardless if their motivation came from the heat, the headliners or the overarching fashion trends, this year’s festival-goers expressed a diversity of unique pieces and outfit combinations authentic to the ACL festival atmosphere.
“I love Houston, bro,” Todd said. “Houston’s a great crowd, they were fun for Omar too … I can’t wait to go back.”
Despite the buzz around his growing success, Todd says he tries to stay focused on developing his artistry without getting caught up in trends or comparisons — and advises aspiring artists to do the same.
“You just cannot look around too much,” Todd said. “It’s great to be inspired by people, but the more you look at what other people are doing and let it influence what you’re about, the less you’re gonna get done. If you’re gonna do something great, it’s gotta be your way, because the power you have is what’s gonna take you where you need to be.”
With his signature blend of vulnerability, energy, humor and a drive to connect with his fans, Todd’s journey is just beginning.
“I want to get better,” Todd said. “I don’t wanna do the same thing over and over again. I want to be great, you know?
“So I’m taking my time to figure out what’s next. I’m not trying to switch eras or commercialize it — I just want to evolve musically. Whatever that looks like, it’ll be what it’s gonna be. It’s just a journey.”
ANGELICA HERNANDEZ FOR THE THRESHER
While some college students use their voices to protest and call for social change, others opt for a different medium of expression, through painting, sculpture or photography. Some Rice students say activism through art has proven to be a fulfilling avenue of expressing dissent that resounds just as loudly as their voices.
Some artists advocate for topics relating to their identity. In this case, activism may be integral to their art due to the role of their identity in their lives. Camille Neal-Harris is one such artist, whose wood, plaster and metal sculptures express her beliefs on race and equality.
“A lot of my pieces have to do with the sky and sun, culture and emotional development,” Neal-Harris, a Will Rice College senior, said. “I think because I am a Black woman, concepts of race, culture and advocating against the systems that cause discrimination are embedded in every piece I make, whether I say it explicitly or not.”
political dimensions — often feels absurd,” Salah, a Will Rice junior, said. “I believe young people are increasingly aware of and frustrated by these conditions, and my work aims to create spaces for collective exchange, reflection and expression.”
Many artists find that their artwork becomes informed by politics and activism. Sophia Rohlfsen ’24 said she finds that her photography work indirectly expresses her views and thoughts about needed change.
“My work is not overtly political, but politics will always inform my artwork,” Rohlfsen said. “I don’t know if my work is ever trying to prove a point. I think I just try to show what I find interesting about a subject.”
The intersection of activism and art also allows students to get involved in the greater student community. Salah had one such experience through an installation at Rice Students for Justice in Palestine’s “liberated zone,” set up last spring.
While words are important, visual forms — whether posters, murals or installations — offer a tactile, immediate way to engage with the world.
Musab Salah WILL RICE COLLEGE JUNIOR
Others find themselves using art to understand and represent the world. Musab Salah said his multi-media art reflects Palestinian resistance and solidarity across movements.
“I think in absurd terms because the world today — particularly in its
“Last semester, some of my peers and I conceptualized this installation as a collective project,” Salah said. “We constructed a mural framework that allowed community members to paint freely within the designated space on large wooden panels. This piece took on additional significance in response to administrative pushback against student protests — organizing a protest was restricted due to censorship, and
students were closely monitored.”
According to Salah, artistic spaces also foster an environment that allows for creativity and activism to collide.
“I regularly seek input from my friends and classmates on the visuals I produce,” Salah said. “Through this collaborative process, art becomes a medium of engagement, encouraging others to reflect on their roles in broader social issues.”
According to Salah, the diverse
ARMAN SAXENA A&E EDITOR
It’s election season, and while the ballot is one way to make your voice heard, these artists believe in another way to influence their communities: protest.
From Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” to Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled debut, major protest albums have entered the cultural canon. However, many lesser-known protest projects are equally as powerful. Check out these albums and get inspired to exercise your voice outside the confines of the electoral system.
“Nina Simone in Concert,” Nina Simone
This 1964 live album is the iconic African American singer-songwriter Nina Simone’s first with explicitly political themes. In the midst of the civil rights movement, it was no wonder Simone felt compelled to protest a racist status quo through her music.
While multiple songs on this project contain political messaging, none ring as powerfully as the final track “Mississippi Goddam.” It angrily yet melodically critiques white moderates who claim to support civil rights but prefer slow, comfortable change, highlighting their discomfort with protests as stemming from ignorance with effects similar to outright
opposition.
The song contrasts this with the Black community’s enduring trauma, emphasizing that prioritizing the comfort of the privileged over the suffering of the disenfranchised is self-serving. The themes of this song made it a popular choice during the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Zombie,” Fela Kuti
The pioneer of Afrobeat, a blend of West African musical styles with funk and jazz, Nigerian musician Fela Kuti was known for his energetic rhythms laced with rebellious political messaging.
A passionate critic of the Nigerian military junta that controlled the country from 1966 to 1999, Kuti organized a commune he called the Kalakuta Republic in 1970 that he declared independent of Nigeria. His 1976 album “Zombie” is characteristically rebellious and condemns complicity and docility in the face of subjugation, as well as denouncing robotic compliance from members of the Nigerian military.
In response to the album’s popularity, the Nigerian military burned down the Kalakuta Republic and killed Kuti’s mother. Still, the album remains a strong stance against oppressive power.
“It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” Public Enemy
Along with N.W.A., De La Soul, Eric B. & Rakim, Run-DMC and Beastie Boys, the New York-based Public Enemy was one of the hip-hop groups that ruled the scene during the late 1980s.
But unlike the rest of those groups, Public Enemy was the most explicitly political (with the exception of N.W.A., whose “Straight Outta Compton” was the first major political hip-hop album on the
environment at Rice allows him to challenge conventional expression through a variety of mediums.
“On a campus as multifaceted as ours, art has the power to reshape how we exchange ideas and create new forms of cultural expression,” Salah said. “While words are important, visual forms — whether posters, murals or installations — offer a tactile, immediate way to engage with the world.”
West Coast). “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” is the blueprint for many of the political hip-hop projects that followed it.
While it doesn’t contain “Fight the Power,” a track made iconic by Spike Lee’s similarly radical film “Do the Right Thing,” songs like “Bring the Noise” and “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” more than suffice in terms of protest messaging.
“Da Lama ao Caos,” Chico Science & Nação Zumbi
By blending Afro-Brazilian musical genres like maracatu, coco and ciranda with hip-hop and rock, Chico Science & Nação Zumbi established a unique sound that brought together the traditional and the modern.
Lead singer Chico Science grew up in the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco and “Da Lama ao Caos”’ lyrics criticize the systemic socioeconomic factors that Science believed contributed to the poverty and inequality that affected the state. This album immerses listeners in a lush environment through its images of street markets and subaquatic trees, and with sonics similarly native to Pernambuco.
“Let England Shake,” PJ Harvey PJ Harvey is an artist constantly reinventing herself. With 2011’s “Let England Shake,” PJ Harvey channels her inner Bob Dylan and Sixto Rodriguez, transforming herself into an anti-war folk rocker. This project explores the United Kingdom’s relationship with war, illustrating how England’s national identity has been forged by the corpses of war. It also explores the role the country has played in the world, from World War I to more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
DIEGO PALOS RODRIGUEZ ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
On Oct. 3, graduate forward Leah Chancey broke the Temple University defensive line and found herself faceto-face with the goalkeeper. On her first touch, she shot the ball past the keeper, marking her eighth straight game with a goal, breaking the program record and maintaining the longest active goal-scoring streak in the NCAA.
Despite the streak ending in the next match against the University of North Texas, Chancey provided two assists that propelled the Owls to their 11th win of the season, tied for the second most in head coach Brian Lee’s time at Rice. While Chancey’s numbers might seem unprecedented, Rice soccer fans know that this is just another highly successful graduate transfer forward who has had a significant impact on the Owls’ season.
In 2022, Grace Collins announced that she would be transferring from Texas Christian University to Rice, an unexpected move considering TCU’s success in the Big 12 Conference and her individual success on the team. Earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in just her sophomore season with the Horned Frogs, Collins
played a huge role in an Owl squad that had just recently made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. She finished the season with the most goals and assists on the team with nine and eight, respectively. She also set the Conference USA record for the most assists in a single game, with five against the University of the Incarnate Word. Collins led the Owls to the C-USA tournament as the No. 1 seed, but they were knocked out in the first round, ending Collins’s time with the program.
While the Owls lost a key piece in Collins, Lee recruited another graduate forward, Ellen Halseth from Hofstra University in 2023. She was among Hofstra’s top scorers in multiple seasons there, and the same followed in her year at Rice. While the Owls finished 3-13-2, Halseth led the Owls in both goals and assists, with five each, as well as points, shots and shots on goal. The team did not qualify for their first American Athletic Conference tournament, but Halseth proved to be another crucial asset in what was otherwise a low-output season.
Now, Chancey is not only following in the footsteps of these two transfer forwards, but she’s going beyond what Rice fans have seen in recent years. After playing three seasons at Southern Methodist University, Chancey had only amassed two goals in
her collegiate career. In her 15 games with Rice, she has scored nine and assisted four, leading the AAC in goals and points while helping the Owls to first place in the conference as of Oct. 22, clinching the AAC Tournament three games out from the end of the regular season.
Is Rice soccer the place to be for transferring forwards around the country? Or is it the graduate programs in accounting, energy economics and data science that attract these players? Whatever Lee is telling them in recruitment talks, it must be working.
needed a touchdown for a chance to win the game.
A win over the University of Texas at San Antonio and a loss to Tulane University have pushed Rice football to 2-5 (1-3 in AAC) heading into the home stretch of the 2024 season.
The Owls secured their first 2024 victory over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent when they took down the UTSA Roadrunners at home Saturday, Oct. 12. Both teams went scoreless on their first three drives of the game before the floodgates opened. They strung together seven consecutive scoring drives, including three touchdowns from Rice. With eight minutes left in the third quarter, the Owls had pulled ahead, 23-13.
“We talk so much about Rice Fight Never Dies, and what a great example of that,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said during the Oct. 14 episode of The Mike Bloomgren Show.
Scoring halted for a full quarter, but the Roadrunners refused to go down without a fight. They scored two touchdowns over the span of three minutes, leading by four points at the two-minute timeout.
The Owls were down 27-23 with about two minutes remaining, so they couldn’t afford to settle for a field goal. They
Junior quarterback E.J. Warner proceeded to lead an eight-play, 65yard drive into scoring position. The series included two catches apiece from graduate tight end Graham Walker and graduate wide receiver Matt Sykes.
With less than 20 seconds left in the game, Walker committed a costly offensive pass interference penalty that set Rice back to the 32-yard line. However, Warner then completed a 14yard pass, UTSA called timeout and Warner found Sykes for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Sykes adjusted to catch the deflected pass while diving near the back of the end zone. The reception, which put Rice ahead by three points with four seconds remaining, was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays segment.
“If we have the ball and time on the clock, we just believe we can go make that thing happen,” Bloomgren said. “That’s that new Rice stuff, and that’s what these kids did.”
UTSA’s last attempt at scoring failed as time expired, giving Rice a 29-27 conference victory at home. The Owls earned their second-highest Pro Football Focus grades of the season for passing (71.3) and defense (73.8).
“It was such a great way for that game
to end,” Bloomgren said. “We’ve wanted to beat those guys for a long time. We’ve been trying to catch up and get to their level, and that’s just a big win for our program.”
The Owls weren’t as lucky on the road against another conference foe, Tulane University, the next weekend.
Rice put together a solid first half against the Green Wave on Oct. 19, aided by Warner, who completed 14 of 20 passes for 147 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the first half. Senior running back Dean Connors added 77 scrimmage yards, but he also committed a costly turnover by losing a fumble in the first half.
“He might be a little guy, but he can run, too.”
Rice’s five offensive turnovers played a significant role in their loss to Tulane, canceling out above-average performances from the offensive line and defense. The Owls posted their worst overall PFF grade of the season (56.1) during the loss to the Green Wave.
“That game came down to turnovers, including two in the red zone,” Bloomgren said.
That game came down to turnovers, including two in the red zone.
Mike Bloomgren
RICE FOOTBALL HEAD COACH
Rice went into halftime leading 107, but they failed to score for the rest of the game. Tulane, meanwhile, scored three more times, pulling ahead 24-10 before the final whistle. Warner threw two more interceptions in the second half, finishing Saturday’s game with 271 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
“E.J. understands that whenever he releases the ball, he has the final say on whether it’s a good throw,” Bloomgren said during Monday’s episode of The Mike Bloomgren Show. “He’s the one that holds all of our livelihood in his hands and we just can’t make those throws, and he knows it.”
Elsewhere on offense, Connors committed another turnover, ending the game with 76 rushing yards, 74 receiving yards and a pair of fumbles. Sykes caught seven passes for 74 yards while senior wide receiver Kobie Campbell caught six passes for 100 yards. Campbell became the first Owls wide receiver to tally at least 100 receiving yards in a single game this season.
“I want to shout out Kobie Campbell,” graduate tight end Elijah Mojarro said.
“That was the bottom line. You can’t go 5-0 turnover margin and expect to win anyone’s football game.”
The latest sequence of games for the Owls is a reality check. Rice is now 2-5 and must win four of their final five games to earn an automatic bowl game bid. They’re fourth-tolast in the AAC, and only one of their remaining games is against a team with a worse conference record (University of Alabama Birmingham).
Rice now heads into its final nonconference game of the year on the road against the University of Connecticut, whom the Owls lost to last year at home, 38-31. Then, they begin their final stretch of conference games against an undefeated Navy team, currently ranked 24th nationally, and the University of Memphis, the preseason favorite in the AAC.
Bloomgren said that he hopes Warner, who is sore after taking a hit in the fourth quarter against Tulane, will play versus UConn. He also expects redshirt junior tackle Ethan Onianwa to return from a three-game absence and redshirt senior linebacker Josh Pearcy to play after missing Monday’s practice. Rice’s battle with the UConn Huskies kicks off Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CDT on CBS Sports Network. The Owls enter as 6.5-point underdogs, according to DraftKings.
ANA RIVERA THRESHER STAFF
Faith Hutchins, Rice soccer’s graduate goalkeeper, said that she has built her success around one key philosophy: Pressure is a privilege. It’s a mindset that has driven her through a standout season for the Owls.
“It is clear that Faith has worked so hard in her playing career to get herself to where she is,” Bella Killgore ‘22, former Rice goalkeeper, said. “She has a great mindset, self-awareness and work ethic. Faith gets better every time she trains, and that is really due to the mentality that she has had since the day she stepped here on campus.”
As a visiting student from the University of Rhode Island, Hutchins said she stepped into a crucial role at Rice, determined to make every moment count in her fifth year as a collegiate soccer player.
“Bella has been a huge influence on me,” Hutchins said. “She knows how to push me in ways that get the best out of me, and I trust her completely.”
Killgore’s mentorship has extended beyond technique, helping Hutchins manage the mental side of the game.
“I tend to overthink after games — like I could’ve done this better or that better,” Hutchins said. “Bella always reminds me, ‘As long as the ball doesn’t go in the net, you’ve done your job.’ That helps me stay focused and not dwell on mistakes.”
Building trust with her teammates, particularly the defensive line, has been essential to Hutchins’s success, Killgore said.
This is my last collegiate season, so I want to make the most of it. I didn’t come this far to slack off now.
Faith Hutchins GRADUATE GOALKEEPER
“This is my last collegiate season, so I want to make the most of it,” Hutchins said. “I didn’t come this far to slack off now.”
Hutchins’s transition to Rice wasn’t just about adapting to a new level of competition — it was also about growing personally. Having spent her entire life close to home in Rhode Island, Hutchins was now navigating being far from her loved ones and familiar surroundings.
“Being away from my family was a huge adjustment,” Hutchins said. “But I was ready to branch out and see what I could do — not just on the field, but as a person.”
On the field, Hutchins has quickly established herself as a vital part of Rice’s defense. With 75 saves and seven shutouts this season, she has anchored the team’s backline with composure and focus.
“When you’re in goal, every second counts,” Hutchins said. “It’s a tough position, but I take pride in being the last line of defense.”
One of the key factors in her development has been her work with Killgore, a goalkeeper coach and former player who excelled in the position, boasting 399 career saves and 31 shutouts across five seasons.
Killgore’s experience as a standout goalkeeper has given her unique insights that have shaped Hutchins’s approach, she said.
“Faith is a great communicator and takes pride in organizing the defense to limit the other team’s chances,” Killgore said. “When a goalkeeper has little to do in a game, we consider that a great game; that means you’ve done a great job communicating and organizing.”
Hutchins credits the team’s strong chemistry for much of their success this season.
“I’ve never been on a team with this kind of culture,” Hutchins said. “Everyone knows their role, and we push each other every day. It’s a great environment to be in because we all know we have each other’s backs.”
With only a few games left in the regular season, Hutchins and her teammates are focused on finishing strong.
“These last games are crucial for us,” Hutchins said. “We’ve worked all season for this, and now it’s about staying sharp and not letting anything slip.”
As the postseason approaches, Hutchins is determined to remain consistent and reliable. Rice, boasting a 5-1-1 record in the AAC and 11-2-2 overall, now prepares for a pivotal matchup against The University of Memphis this Thursday.
“I can’t afford to have an off day,” Hutchins said. “I need to be locked in for all 90 minutes because my team is counting on me.”
For Hutchins, the season isn’t just about her statistics — it’s about proving what she can achieve under pressure.
“Pressure, to me, means opportunity,” Hutchins said. “I want to walk away from this season knowing I gave everything I had for my team.”
The Backpage polled members of the Rice community to understand who they were voting for and why.
Jeanne Vasquez
Freshman, KINE/EEPS, Duncan College
Kamala Harris and I totally agree where it matters: we are both soooo brat, and I love coconuts and ‘existing in the context’, haha! I also LOVE Venn diagrams! Girly is always #eating Trump up with her TikToks, no crumbs left! My O-Week mom said she will defend reproductive rights and fight for the middle class, which is slay too. Plus, Tim Walz’s wholesome vibes and protective dad energy heal my inner child (and like why is he lowkey fineee). Literally gnawing at the bars of my enclosure for that man!
Brandon Pickett
Sophomore, ELEC, Will Rice College
President Donald Trump has my vote. He is tough on the border and a fresh change from Biden’s miserable joke of an economy. More importantly, Trump has promised to end the epidemic of zesty men like Harry Styles and my roommate, who are rubbing off on me (and it makes me feel weird inside). And Trump also fights for our right to a fair and free erection, sorry erection, sorry election. Plus, JD Vance speaks to the silent majority of us guys who wore historical peacoats to school—people thought I was gay, but I’m actually just an old soul who cares about our nation’s illustrious past.
Frank Henry Associate Director of Alumni Relations
Nobody in the mainstream media is talking about Boe Gorbert. He’s the guy that can really unite our country, a good ole boy, none of that hoity-toity Warshington nonsense. Ever since I saw his stellar performance at the debate, I was sold. He’s the perfect middle ground on the issues between the other two candidates in every way, and he’s so scandal-free that nothing even shows up when you Google him.
Adrian
Chang Junior, ENGL, Wiess College
George Santos is the cuntiest candidate of them all. He can be problematic sometimes, but like, so is my roommate who sexiled my entire suite of eight people for 24 hours lol. I slept outside haha. Anyways Santos is Icarus and Prometheus and Hercules. He is a warrior who was punished for doing what no one has done before: diva-ing the Congress down boots. I don’t even care if he’s a liar cuz I lie literally all the time he’s so real for that to be honest. Also he would definitely get lip filler covered by the Affordable Care Act and that’s on tea.
Chase Lewis Senior, MECH, Brown College
Ok not gonna lie I already voted early but I was insanely hungover and couldn’t remember a single candidate’s positions so I wrote in Dilf Hunter for every single race. But it kind of works out, I haven’t seen him around campus yet but as U.S. President I think he would bring back NOD and turn Brochstein into a giant Cane’s. Also if he wins even one of the races then I get $60,000 back on my $5 Polymarket bet.
Tracy Skinner
Associate Professor of Political Science
I’ve been researching U.S. politics for forty years. I’ve read the papers. I’ve seen the data. And at long last, I believe I am one of the few people who can actually say I am making the objective, well-informed decision in this year’s presidential election… but ah ah ah! [finger wag] You really thought it’d be that easy to get it out of me? No way, José! Come back when you’ve got your own dissertation, buster.
The Backpage is the satire section of the Thresher, written this week by
questions or comments, please email pookiebear@rice.edu.
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