The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, October 30, 2024 by The Rice Thresher

Students mobilize for Harris’ reproductive rights rally

Beyoncé, Willie Nelson take the stage in support

U.S. Vice President

Rice fires football head coach Mike Bloomgren

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a rally for reproductive rights in Houston on Oct. 25. Musical artist Beyoncé Knowles-Carter drew crowds at the rally, returning to her hometown to endorse Harris in the U.S. presidential race. Over 30,000 attendees — Harris’ largest rally turnout so far, her campaign said — packed the Shell Energy Stadium, emblazoned with signs saying “Trust Women” and “Vote for Reproductive Freedom.”

Ten days before the election, Harris’ stop in Houston is a rare one: It’s the first time in 30 years that a candidate has campaigned in Texas, a state that last voted Democrat in 1976.

“I know sometimes in Texas, folks are like ‘Is it worth it? Does it make a difference?’ Harris said at the rally.

“Yes, it does … momentum is on our side.”

Rice Young Democrats

organized a group of over 70 students to attend the rally, led by Benjamin Kagan and Sammi Frey. After the event was announced on Oct. 22,

The thing I love about [Generation Z], is that you are impatient for change. You know it ain’t right that you may have fewer rights than your mother or grandmother … I see you, and I see your power.

Kamala Harris U.S. VICE PRESIDENT

Kagan said he approached contacts at the Harris campaign in hopes of involving students. After obtaining “friends and family” seats at the front of the stadium floors, Kagan and Frey said they recruited students to attend and arranged carpools to transport people to the stadium.

addresses the crowd at an Oct. 25

Kagan, a Baker College freshman, said. “But within a very short time of sending out an [RSVP] form … we were inundated with people reaching out, and many, many sign-ups.”

The event saw over 30,000 attendees — her largest yet — and 1.5 million sign-ups, her campaign said.

Over 1.5 million people signed up for the rally, with lines wrapping around the stadium and spilling into the roads. Students like Ridhi Dondeti, a Jones College freshman, and Matthew Hong, a Brown College senior, said they waited for as long as four hours.

Actress Jessica Alba opened the event at 7:30 p.m., endorsing Harris. “Going back is not an option,” she said before introducing Houston obstetrician-gynecologist Todd Ivey, who gave a speech criticizing the state’s abortion bans.

Rice Athletics announced the firing of football head coach Mike Bloomgren on Sunday, less than 24 hours after a 1710 loss at the University of Connecticut. “As I evaluated our program and compared our current and desired trajectory, I determined new leadership is necessary to guide us into the future,” said athletic director Tommy McClelland in a statement. Bloomgren, 47, was in the middle of his seventh season as the Owls’ head coach at the time of his firing. Through six full seasons, he had never led the program to a winning record. His best finish came in 2023 when Rice went 6-6 and lost their bowl game to Texas State University. Entering the 2024 season, DraftKings projected Rice to finish fifth among 14 teams in the American Athletic Conference. However, at the time of Bloomgren’s firing, Rice was tied for ninth in the conference, going 2-6 overall and 1-3 against AAC opponents. Rice was Bloomgren’s third stop in Division I FBS, but his first as head

As I evaluated our program and compared our current and desired trajectory, I determined new leadership is necessary to guide us into the future.

Tommy McClelland

coach. He had previously been a graduate assistant at the University of Alabama and offensive coordinator at Stanford University. He also spent four years at the NFL level in various roles with the New York Jets. Bloomgren was credited with recruiting talent to Rice, including quarterback JT Daniels, whom he had attempted to recruit while Daniels was in high school, and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey, whose brother, Christian, played for him at Stanford. Daniels helped lead the Owls to their second consecutive bowl-game berth in 2023 before declaring his medical retirement near the end of the season. McCaffrey parlayed an impressive junior season at Rice into becoming a thirdround pick in the NFL Draft for the Washington Commanders.

RIYA MISRA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CALI LIU / THRESHER

Kamala Harris

rally

Houston.

RIYA MISRA / THRESHER

Attendees hold up signs referencing Beyoncé’s 2016 song “Freedom,” which Harris has adopted as a campaign anthem. The Oct. 25 rally focused on abortion rights and reproductive freedom.

RIYA MISRA / THRESHER Singers Kelly Rowland (left) and Beyoncé (right), Houston natives, speak at the rally in support of Harris.

Country singer Willie Nelson then took the stage, performing a rendition of his 1975 song “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”

“Are we ready to say ‘Madam President’?” Nelson asked the crowd, who applauded in response.

Several women spoke throughout the rally, sharing harrowing pregnancy experiences. Yesenia Gamez Gamboa was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy in 2021 — she received a “safe and quick” abortion that saved her life, she said. One year later, after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, both Ondrea Lintz and Amanda Zurawski were denied similar abortion care after their pregnancies were ruled inviable; both women soon developed life-threatening sepsis.

“I am here to advocate for the women who are unable to share their truth,” Lintz said on stage. “For the many Black and brown women whose pain is often dismissed and disregarded.”

Zurawski eventually sued the state of Texas, losing but becoming a figurehead

chanted “beat Ted Cruz.”

for the abortion rights movement in the process. Zurawski and her husband, Josh, spoke at the rally and introduced Rep. Colin Allred, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. In his speech, Allred emphasized his support for both Harris and her reproductive health policies.

At the end of the night, Beyoncé, her mother Tina Knowles and singer Kelly Rowland welcomed and endorsed Harris.

daughters growing up, seeing what’s possible with no ceilings.”

Hearing all the stories of women, especially Texas women, and how they felt after their reproductive rights were stripped from them, was so moving. One of my friends and I cried for basically all of [Harris’] ads.

Calen Redic

LOVETT COLLEGE SOPHOMORE

“I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother,” Beyoncé said

On stage, Harris then reiterated the reproductive health policies at stake in this year’s election.

She played a reel of women, including Zurawski and Lintz, speaking about their fraught fertility journeys in the wake of Roe’s fall.

“We know that women have died because of [Donald] Trump’s abortion bans. Here today is Shanette Williams, mother of Amber Nicole Thurman,” Harris continued. Thurman died in 2022 from a fatal, preventable infection after

Georgia’s restrictive abortion laws delayed emergency medical care.

“We must speak her name. I promised her mother I would speak her name.”

“Hearing all the stories of women, especially Texas women, and how they felt after their reproductive rights were stripped from them, was so moving,” said Calen Redic, who attended the rally with Kagan and Frey. “One of my friends and I cried for basically all of [Harris] ads.”

At the end of her speech, Harris addressed the young voters in the audience, particularly Generation Z.

“The thing I love about you, is that you are impatient for change,” Harris said. “You know it ain’t right that you may have fewer rights than your mother or grandmother … I see you, and I see your power.”

“It was really exciting to see how [supportive of] Gen Z she was,” said Frey, a Hanszen College sophomore, after the rally. “She definitely wanted the spirit and the energy that we had, and I think we definitely have the ability to bring her campaign forward.”

Senate passes divestment referenda to student vote

The Student Association passed four referenda calling for university response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in its Oct. 28 meeting. The general student body will vote on the referenda this academic year.

At the Oct. 28 meeting, SA voting members largely debated whether or not to pose the referenda to a student body vote, rather than the actual content. The referenda were introduced last week at the Oct. 21 senate meeting. Now that the referenda have passed in the

senate, a two-thirds majority with a 20% student body turnout is needed for the referenda to pass, according to the SA constitution. If the referenda passes the student body vote, they then would be presented to university administrators for consideration.

According to SA President Jae Kim, if the senate expedited the referendum process, students would vote on four items by Thanksgiving break. Otherwise, the referenda would be included on the spring SA election ballot.

S.REF 01 asks the Rice Management Company to disclose all of its investments and holdings. The referendum alleges that Rice Management Company intentionally hides its investments and that Rice may be “supporting entities complicit in wars, genocides or other injustices around the world” without students’ knowledge.

S.REF 01 unanimously passed with 24 votes in favor. Two voting members abstained from voting.

S.REF 02 asks for university divestment from entities that profit off of the IsraelHamas war or fund war and genocide. The referendum specifically references Lockheed

Elbit Systems of America and Chevron. S.REF 02 passed with 14 votes in favor, two votes against and 10 voting members abstaining.

S.REF 03 asks for a university statement condemning genocide and scholasticide in Gaza that is “perpetrated by the U.S.-Israel colonial war machine.” S.REF 03 unanimously passed with 17 votes in favor. Nine voting members abstained from voting.

S.REF 04 asks the university for a commitment to materially support anti-colonial scholarship, particularly Palestinian scholarship. S.REF 04 passed with 12 votes in favor, three votes against and 11 voting members abstaining.

and four opposed to the referenda, before the vote took place.

Students for Justice in Palestine organizer Matti Haacke spoke in favor of the referenda.

This referenda process allows the student body to decide what they want to see from administration.

Arman Saxena REFERENDA AUTHOR

Arman Saxena, author of the referenda, said that the Senate vote was not about whether members agreed with the referenda, but rather if they believed the student body should vote on the referenda.

“Many voting members may not feel comfortable voting on behalf of the entire student body because they want to be representatives of their constituents,” Saxena, a Lovett College junior, said. “This referenda process allows the student body itself to decide what they want to see from administration.”

“Students at Rice and across the country have learned from leading scholars that colonial systems continue to oppress people worldwide, and they seek a move towards a more just and peaceful future,” Haacke, a Sid Richardson college senior, said. “I urge you to honor the integrity of this impulse and use your own position not to silence and suppress the movement, but to give each student at Rice the opportunity to make themselves heard, even as the administrators have failed them.”

Students Supporting Israel cofounder Giovanni Marinilli spoke against the referenda.

“This is a complex conflict,” said Marinilli, a Sid Richardson College senior. “We cannot let our anger ... let us forget that [these referenda are] onesided and only acknowledge the pain of one side of this conflict.”

FROM FRONT PAGE HARRIS RALLY

SARAH KNOWLTON / THRESHER Harris speaks to the crowd at the end of a three-hour rally held in Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium.

CALI LIU / THRESHER

Rep. Colin Allred addressed the crowd, who

RIYA MISRA / THRESHER Beyoncé spoke at the rally but did not sing, despite rumors of a performance.

Martin, Raytheon,

Editor’s note: Arman Saxena is one of the Thresher’s Arts & Entertainment editors. Eight students gave two-minute speeches, four in favor of

JAMES CANCELARICH ASST. NEWS EDITOR

RIYA MISRA / THRESHER Senate attendees applaud after Student Association voting members passed the four referenda Oct. 28.

Sunrise Rice pushes for environmental change

climate crisis,” Lozano-Lomeli, a Jones sophomore, said.

Historic button collection on display at Baker Institute

HONGTAO HU THRESHER STAFF

A donation of 998 political buttons from collector Julius “Desey” Desenberg dating back to the 1900s is now on display in the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice, a project supported by the Fondren Fellows Program.

Buttons in the collection range from senatorial to presidential electionss. The designs include a shifting image of Michael Dukakis, Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s inauguration.

Fondren fellow Nathaniel Nokken worked with Baker Institute fellow Mark Jones on the display, which involved cataloging the buttons based on their time period, distinguishing features and other criteria such as size and color.

“What really attracted me initially to the project was … how the use of political imaging and political messaging has shifted over the last 100 years, 125 years, because that’s how far some of the buttons that we have go back,” Nokken, a Lovett College junior, said.

According to Nokken, a political science major, he noticed that buttons gradually grew larger over the years, incorporating political slogans instead of pictures and using brighter colors.

Nokken said he tangibly engaged with his classes’ topics while cataloging the buttons.

“This served as something supplemental to real-world experience,” Nokken said. “I took a history class last year on the U.S. presidents and one on American Politics, so getting to blend the two, and having a physical, tactile example of this, is probably the best way that [the buttons] connected back.”

A curated display of buttons is featured at the Baker Institute, along with information on every single button in the collection. The rest of the buttons are held at the Woodson Research Center in Fondren Library.

“What we finally unveiled last week was physically taking the buttons off of the original frames that they were on, rearranging them based on what we felt were the best buttons, impactful and most meaningful, and getting them ready for display at the Baker Institute,” Nokken said.

A new chapter of the Sunrise Movement started this semester at Rice. With over 100 chapters across the country, the Sunrise Movement is a national activism organization that advocates for political action on climate change.

Anna Stravato, Dyllan LozanoLomeli, Sam Foram and Jessica Shi founded the chapter. As a group, the Sunrise board said the chapter is unique in focusing on political action, though there are many climate and sustainabilityfocused campus groups.

“We saw an opening on campus for this type of club because while there are several organizations on campus related to sustainability, none catered specifically to political work, activism or civic initiatives for large-scale change in environmental policy,” Stravato, a Jones College sophomore, wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Rice is a school of engaged and educationally privileged individuals who have a unique capacity to make a change.”

Lozano-Lomeli said that her summer experience working with a different climate organization inspired her to establish the Sunrise chapter.

“This past summer, through my internship with Air Alliance Houston, I witnessed the lack of transparency of polluting industries and the lack of policies in place to protect Texans from the consequences of pollution,” Lozano-Lomeli said. “I saw the power of community action and pressuring government officials and organizations to achieve climate justice, and this inspired me to help establish a Sunrise hub at Rice.”

Because Rice is an institution whose endowment comes, in large part, from extensive investments in the energy industry, we have a moral responsibility to use the university’s influence and resources to further sustainable development into the future.

Anna Stravato

SUNRISE RICE CO-FOUNDER

Stravato and Lozano-Lomeli said they hope to also be involved locally by organizing trips to City Hall, voter registration drives and teach-ins; in the future, they want to pressure Mayor John Whitmire and other representatives to support the Green New Deal. They also plan to host art projects to foster engagement and raise awareness about climate change, they said.

“We hope to encourage civic engagement through events that directly pressure Houston government representatives to adopt policies that actively combat the

LozanoLomeli also said that Sunrise Rice hopes to contribute to a larger push for climate-related policy.

“We hope to provide Houstonbased support for Sunrise National’s Green New Deal initiative,” LozanoLomeli said. “Furthermore, we want to pressure federal agencies to more aggressively practice oversight on industries in Houston that are contributing to large-scale pollution.”

Stravato said she believes Rice has an obligation to promote sustainable policies alongside its investments in energy companies.

“Rice — if it wants to remain a relevant and successful university — will have to continue adjusting to new levels of sustainability and environmental awareness,” Stravato wrote. “Because Rice is an institution whose endowment comes, in large part, from extensive investments in the energy industry, we have a moral responsibility to use the university’s influence and resources to further sustainable development into the future.”

KRISHNA CHALISE FOR THE THRESHER

ALICE SUN / THRESHER

PHOEBE SCHOCKET / THRESHER Standout buttons from the almost 1,000 donated are on display in the Baker Institute.

Rice establishes Virani Undergraduate School of Business

BELINDA ZHU ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Following a “historic” gift to Rice Business, undergraduate business majors will now study in the Virani Undergraduate School of Business, named after donors Farid and Asha Virani. A university spokesperson declined to provide the exact donation amount.

The name change follows the addition of an undergraduate business major in March 2021. Previously, all students — whether undergraduate, master’s or Ph.D. — received degrees from the Jones Graduate School of Business. Dean Peter Rodriguez said that the Virani School will provide a distinct identity for undergraduates.

“Students will graduate from the Virani School,” Rodriguez said in an interview with the Thresher. “It’s one organization. There’s no new separate identity of a separate school with a separate faculty. If you look at our name as it existed prior to today, it was always known as the Jones Graduate School of Business … [The Virani School] creates a proper identity for an undergraduate program

that is separate and distinct even if the organization is not.”

Faraz Virani ’21, the donors’ son, said he was excited to hear about the business major’s addition as he was gearing up to graduate from Rice.

“I was in their shoes three years ago,” said Faraz, who graduated with a major in sports management and a minor in business and entrepreneurship. “I was jealous, because in March of the year I graduated, they announced the undergraduate business major … I think the minor gave me a great foundation, but the major will take that to a whole new level.

If you look at our name as it existed prior to today, it was always known as the Jones Graduate School of Business … [The Virani School] creates a proper identity for an undergraduate program that is separate and distinct even if the organization is not.

Peter Rodriguez DEAN OF THE JESSE H. JONES GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

“It’s going to expand the classes, the network and all the offerings from the school … I wanted this major really badly, so I’m really excited to see what [current students] are able to do within the hedges and once they leave.”

Farid Virani is the founder and CEO of Prime Communications, a telecommunications and wireless retail business. The company first launched in 1999 at a “single mall kiosk” in Houston’s Baybrook Mall — as of 2010, it generated $131 million in annual revenue.

“[Rice Business] has given back to

the city that’s given us so much,” Farid said in an interview with the Thresher. “We want to pay it forward and help the next generation.”

“Rice was my beginning, and now it’s my ongoing love,” said his wife, Asha Virani, a doctor who graduated from Rice in 1989. “I love being back and being involved. It’s reignited in me how special this place is.”

Rodriguez said the intentions of the gift align with what is next for the undergraduate business program.

“We would like to see more special programming like honors programming and

activities that will distinguish the school and its purpose,” Rodriguez said.

Asha said that, to her, the new degree means a sense of responsibility to positively impact the world.

“I hope that we can model that responsibility as ‘How do you give back?’ ‘How do you lead?’ ‘How do you make the world better?’” she said. “I am really looking at the Rice students who graduate with this degree in this name. They have a responsibility, and we will be watching them to see how they are world changers. So, I think it just got harder for you all.”

KELTON KECK / THRESHER

The business schools are housed in McNair Hall, which is currently undergoing expansion.

Students should weigh in on divestment, investment transparency referenda

On Monday, the Senate passed four referenda calling for Rice to divest, be transparent with their investment holdings, condemn “ongoing genocide and scholasticide” and support “anti-colonial scholarship.” These proposals will now go to an undergraduate-wide student body vote as early as next month.

Resolutions, a formal expression of a Student Association “opinion or policy,” may be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Senate. A referendum, on the other hand, opens “a single political question” up to a general vote from the whole student body, according to (what we think) is the latest version of the SA constitution.

Monday’s vote merely decided that every student should be able to weigh in on these questions. This is a good thing.

To be clear, this is not an endorsement, nor are we offering our opinion on the proposals’ content. But we think you should offer yours.

All students are affected by these referenda, particularly the two concerned with divestment and investments. The former

To be clear, this is not an endorsement, nor are we offering our opinion on the proposals’ content. But we think you should offer yours.

explicitly references Rice’s partnerships with Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Chevron, which often sponsor or partner with various departments across campus. The latter calls for the Rice Management Company, which oversees the university’s $8 billion endowment, to increase transparency about their investment holdings.

Stand up for true free speech

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.

The recent climate on campus has seen rising tensions around free speech and inclusivity, particularly in discussions concerning Israel and Palestine.

Students should have the freedom to express their beliefs and opinions without being dictated by the views of

others, even if those opinions might make people uncomfortable or open up difficult conversations. However, Rice’s championing of events that legitimize Israel while ignoring the treatment of pro-Palestinian students demonstrate its lack of support for meaningful discourse and free speech of all community members.

Claims to cherish students’ civil liberties appear hollow when one endorses a state actively committing genocide and designated as an apartheid state by multiple human rights organizations — including Amnesty International and Human Rights

The RMC also, notably, manages property holdings in the surrounding area. Current juniors and seniors may remember what we’ve affectionately-dubbed “YoYoGate,” when the RMC terminated leases for YoYo’s Hot Dog and Oh My Gogi food trucks operating out of Rice Village in early 2023.

We don’t think the Student Association, which hasn’t seen voter turnout higher than 50% since 2018, should be the sole voice deciding questions like these. In this case, we’re glad they’re not.

Read the proposals. Talk to your new student representatives, your senators, your college presidents. Attend Senate meetings, if you so wish, and ask questions.

The referenda will be voted on soon — although knowing the Senate, probably not that soon — and we hope enough students make their voices heard.

Editor’s Note: Arts & Entertainment Editor Arman Saxena was recused from this editorial due to his authorship of the referenda.

EDITORIAL STAFF

Watch. How is it inclusive to support a regime that, as Ta-Nehisi Coates put it, “advanced beyond the Jim Crow South and segregated not just the pools and the fountains, but the water itself”?

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

Ibrahim Al-Akash SID RICHARDSON COLLEGE SENIOR

Make Election Day a permanent non-instructional day

Back in 2022, as Jones College’s New Student Representatives, we presented one of our first Student Association Senate resolutions to President Reggie DesRoches and other university leaders, asking them to designate Election Day as a noninstructional day. This resolution aimed to eliminate barriers to voting and promote civic engagement, recognizing that the

right to vote should not come at the cost of academic performance.

In February 2023, the Faculty Senate took a critical step in the right direction by granting students a non-instructional day for this year’s upcoming presidential election. On Nov. 5, the Rice community will have time to come together for a day of civic engagement, with block parties during the day and watch parties during the evening. Instead of having to fit voting in between classes, students will be able to vote anytime between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., ideally mitigating historically long lines at certain times of day. However, this policy currently only applies to the 2024 academic year. To allow for continued commitment to civic engagement, we need to make this change permanent.

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CORRECTIONS

Texas has consistently imposed significant obstacles to voting, particularly for college students. The state has closed hundreds of polling sites, and counties with large universities have seen a decline in polling location availability, forcing voters to travel farther and wait in longer lines.

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

Olivia Roark & Solomon Ni JONES COLLEGE SENIORS

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GUEST OPINION

‘Like no other formal’: Esperanza through the years

dance will be held at The Parador Nov. 1, with a photo booth, bar and yard games.

getting more expensive, but the funds the RPC received remained the same.

Live ice sculptures, ticket-covered bar tabs and university-wide Among Us games — Esperanza, Rice’s annual fall formal, is no stranger to reinvention.

The first mention of Esperanza is found in an October 1980 edition of the Thresher, where it is announced as the new name of the Brown-Jones women’s fall formal. Other suggestions that were not picked included “The Twilight Romp,” “Willy or Won’t He Ball” and Wiess College’s entry, “Nightofdeca Dance.”

Today, Esperanza gives students the chance to dress up and head to an offcampus location for a night of decadent food and dancing. A November 2005 edition of the Thresher said that recent Esperanza locations included Minute Maid Park, NASA Johnson Space Center, the Crowne Plaza hotel and the Koch Building. This year’s

In the past, Esperanza has struggled with attendance. A graphic in the November 2007 edition of the Thresher showed that Esperanza’s attendance decreased consistently each year, from 1000 people in 2000 to 400 in 2005. Rice Program Center canceled Rondelet to focus on Esperanza in 2006, which had 580 people attend.

Eventually, Esperanza’s attendance increased. The November 2008 dance saw a record attendance of over 1000 people, exceeding the RPC’s original expectation of between 600 and 700 people. Tickets were sold out two days before the dance, with resale tickets selling for extreme amounts.

“One student sent an e-mail on the Jones College listserv, offering $100, as well as his iPod, in exchange for two tickets to the dance. Tickets originally sold for $15,” the article said.

The budget has been a consistent concern, especially because the RPC also runs Beer Bike. In the past, a ticket covered dinner, drinks, a performance and more.

A September 1984 edition of the Thresher said the ticket included dinner, flowers, a bar tab and entertainment from The Second City comedy troupe.

In a September 1988 edition of the Thresher, at-the-time RPC president Alex Flenner ’89 said that they did not have the budget to pay popular performers who were interested.

“We have big-name bands that would love to play Rice – it’s Houston,” Flenner said. “Al Jarreau wants to sing here. He has a beautiful voice, but we just don’t have the funds.”

Flenner said that Beer Bike had been

“We’ve tried to get corporate sponsorship, but no one will touch it,” Flenner said. “The alcohol makes it too risky.”

At times, the budget ballooned. Along with a Mr. Rice competition, Student Vision for the Second Century town hall and Young Alumni pub night, RPC held Esperanza during Rice’s Centennial Weekend celebrations in February 2012. The party included a custom mixologist, live carving of an ice sculpture,and food trucks.

Shaurya Agarwal ’14, RPC’s external vice president at the time, said that the budget had opened up significantly by saving on the venue and erecting a tent in front of Lovett Hall.

to create events that provided a feeling of normalcy while still being very much in line with the rules set in place by the university,” Pena said.

This year’s dance is expecting an attendance of between 400 and 500 people. RPC’s socials co-chair, Megan Phung, said in an email to the Thresher that planning for the event began during the start of the summer.

One student sent an email on the Jones College listserv, offering $100, as well as his iPod, in exchange for two tickets to the dance.

The Thresher NOV. 14, 2008 ISSUE

“It’s going to be like no other formal event you’ve ever been to,” Agarwal said. “This is the Centennial Esperanza. It’s once in a hundred years.”

2020’s Esperanza had both a remote and in-person component. The remote event had a classic fall movie viewing and Among Us game, while the traditional in-person dance was turned into a fall carnival with hayrides and pumpkin carving. Ashley Pena ’23, the RPC Traditions Committee co-chair at the time, said that the changes were made to preserve the tradition while prioritizing safety.

“Now more than ever, people crave social interaction, and we really tried our best

“RPC gives us a lot of freedom to make Esperanza what we truly want it to look like. We’ve spent a lot of time finding venues, reaching out to caterers, finding a DJ and more,” Phung said. “When we toured The Parador, we automatically knew we wanted Esperanza to be at The Parador because of how gorgeous it was.”

Esperanza has endured fluctuating attendance, changing budgets and global pandemics. In a November 1988 edition of the Thresher, Flenner said that the efforts of RPC are worthwhile, despite funding difficulties.

“Many people have told me that it was the most fun they have had in the past three or four years,” Flenner said.

Natalia Salies ’10 said that Esperanza will always be around.

“I think people at Rice just enjoy dressing up,” Salies said. “That’s the one [party] that makes people put clothes on instead of taking them off.”

ACROSS DOWN

“That’s funny!”

Not likely to fall in love, briefly

Zero

Old man

Gymnast’s one-piece uniform

Oinker

UMD, for one

Even so

Discouraged exclamations

Miser Scrooge

Like a ripe peach

Lo mismo que 12 meses

Inclement weather

Very

“Are they wearing a hat?” game

Source of stress for MBA-hopefuls

Director Mira of “The Namesake” and “Monsoon Wedding”

Teenager’s facial foe

ABBA’s winning entry in Eurovision

“Yeah, right”

Dance that tells a story

Southeast Asian language

The 411

Often mixed-up with a weather balloon

Gunn and Curry

S, A, or D

Dutch dairy product

Ruby and cinnabar, for example

Gelato brand

Bequeaths

Those at home on the alto range?

Spongy Ethiopian staple

Houston → Winnipeg direction

They go marching. Hurrah!

Schedule’s

A photo of Rice Dance Society’s practice before Esperanza in a November 2005 Thresher.

BFF ghouls: last minute Halloween group costumes

What’s scarier than frat boys?

Bring out the loose ties, chain necklaces, unbuttoned shirts, backward caps and white tank tops. To accessorize further and complete the look, add some sunglasses and red Solo cups. Pictures with clenched hands and wide stances are a must.

Pacman, Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde

costumes from Greek mythology. After the mandatory toga bedsheet, you can get creative with different Greek gods and goddesses — cut out some cardboard lightning bolts for Zeus, a trident-shaped pole or stick for Poseidon or a fake bow and arrow for Artemis.

‘Men in Black,’ ‘Suits,’ ‘The Office’ and more

Swamped with midterms?

Procrastinated too much? If your friend group is scrambling for costumes the day before Halloween, look no further.

With some different colored T-shirts and construction paper, you can make costumes based on this hit arcade game. For the ghosts, use some oversized shirts with circles made out of black and white construction paper — you can even cut the hem of the shirt in a zigzag fashion to mimic the ghost shape. Then, for the servery fiend of the group, make a Pacman costume with a yellow t-shirt or a large Pacman-shaped cardboard cutout.

Evening on Mount Olympus

Get ready for Bacchanalia early with

Room for change: understanding residential college transfers

DIA GUPTA FOR THE THRESHER

Noisy environments, overwhelming events and interpersonal conflict: Much can go wrong as students first settle into university. Some students find themselves reconsidering their dorms, friends or even residential college. While less than 1% of students transfer colleges each year, according to Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman, those who do say it has transformed their experiences.

Kelsey Webb, a senior who transferred from Jones College to Wiess College, said she made the switch because she didn’t feel accepted in her community.

“I feel much better and much safer being at Wiess. It’s nice to walk everywhere in my college and feel welcomed,” Webb said. “It’s a lot less stressful.

“I don’t feel scared sitting in commons. I don’t feel scared going to different floors. It’s just much better for me.”

Duncan College Magister Eden King has approved a few transfers during her time at Rice and attributes these swaps to “push” and “pull” factors.

“When we talk about ‘push’ factors, those are experiences someone may have had at their home college that were not in line with their expectations and made them think about leaving,” King said. “The ‘pull’ factors would be what creates a pull to another college. They’re the things about another college that are appealing, whether friends or location.”

According to King, magisters want a clear, presentable reason why a student would be better off at another college. Often, this includes feelings of isolation, alienation or having issues with roommates or friends at their home college, King said. Students also request a transfer to be closer to another community that they feel fits them better.

Alberto Figueroa, a Duncan junior who transferred from Baker College, said his experience making close friends while co-advising at Duncan inspired him to transfer.

“I feel like the community at Duncan was so much more welcoming, and I just had so much more fun with them,”

AMY CAO / THRESHER

Figueroa said. “I could connect with them on so many other levels than I did with the Baker community.”

The transferring student must talk to the magister of their residential college and the college they wish to move into. The magisters want to understand why they wish to leave, King said. Was there an unsatisfactory experience at their college? Is something drawing them to another one? Magisters hope to ensure that students don’t use a permanent solution for a temporary or campuswide problem, King said.

“The things I’m most concerned about, personally, is making sure students have a realistic sense of what they’re getting into, and there’s not a presumption that the grass is necessarily greener in another place,” King said.

If both magisters endorse the move, the decision is discussed at a monthly meeting between all the college magisters and presidents, where students will be approved to transfer.

Each residential college has different ways of welcoming transfers. Duncan hosts a mid-year matriculation ceremony for transfers, both from other residential colleges and other universities entirely, in which students participate in “Dunctriculation.” Brown College ensures their transfers get college merchandise, said magister Doug Schuler, and are constantly updated about logistics through the transfer process.

“Usually, the students who want to transfer already have a friend group here. It’s not random, [they don’t] just transfer anywhere ... so they usually are already pretty tight in the family,” Schuler said.

As long as you and your friends have formal businesswear, any of these famous movies and TV shows will work. Channel your inner government agent with “Men in Black,” lawyer with “Suits” or anything else you can think of.

Most-used emojis exposé

Represent your group’s favorite emojis. Use yellow T-shirts with construction paper or permanent markers for the face details. You can even dress as a non-face emoji like the dancing purple suit man or, my personal favorite, the levitating man.

Suburbia: golfer dad, soccer mom For a group costume with simple

wardrobe items, manifest your inner golfer dad with a short-sleeved polo shirt, belt, sunglasses and khakis. You can also don visor caps, puffer vest jackets, leggings and your imaginary children’s favorite snacks (mini-van optional) to become the best soccer mom.

I love Halloween from the ‘Inside Out’ Express yourself with a variety of emotions from the “Inside Out” franchise. Use various clothing, temporary hair dye and body paint or just some different colored T-shirts with the emotion’s faces drawn on them. Bonus: design your own emotions like Hope or Pride and have fun with it.

Embracing the autumn heat

Since Baker Beach just happened, you might as well be efficient and reuse your tubular group beach look. Embody those summer vibes with Hawaiian shirts, (hopefully appropriate) swimsuits, pool noodles and floaties, sunglasses, sandals and other beach toys. Don’t forget sunscreen.

Cars, novels, & swords: Seniors talk capstone projects

LILY HARVEY FOR THE THRESHER

Left-handed people are 1.85 times more likely to get injured while driving than right-handed people.

Rachel Ivany, a psychology major, is investigating this phenomenon in her capstone — a year-long opportunity for seniors to explore an academic interest, often the four-year culmination of their major.

“I’m a lefty, so I was like, ‘Why?’ And [my adviser Philip] Kortum is a lefty too,” Ivany, a Sid Richardson College senior, said. “I love the freedom that we get. Kortum pretty much let me design this whole study from scratch and get all the equipment that I needed.”

Across Rice’s schools of study, seniors are embarking upon similar long-term projects, some researchbased, others experimental.

Justin Lebeau’s material sciences and nanoengineering group, for example, is creating a sword. This is the second consecutive year that MSNE students have forged a sword — an entry requirement for a bladesmithing competition hosted by The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.

“It’s an art and a science,” Lebeau, a senior at Sid Richardson said. “It has to be under 20 centimeters and cannot be sharpened. Other than that, we really have this freedom to decide our own materials and design.”

Zach Woodley, a mechanical engineering major, says his capstone — a customizable car for the city’s annual art car parade — similarly explores an intersection between art and science.

“We’re going to customize and modify the car, and we have until the end of the school year to produce something that has electronic components and kinetic sculptures,” Woodley, a McMurtry College senior, said. “It will feature audiocontrolled lighting and visuals that synchronize with musical playbacks to create an immersive media piece of experience.”

English major Kyra McKauffley, a Martel College senior, is similarly incorporating creativity

into her capstone. For her project, she is working on a full-length gothic horror novel. McKauffley said she appreciates connecting with other English students working on similar projects.

Hannah Kim, a psychology major, said she similarly appreciates the support network found among her advisor and graduate students assisting with her project.

“It’s been nice to have a community to fall back on and get support from, and to make my ideas broader by talking with people who have more knowledge in certain areas,” Kim, a Hanszen College senior, said.

For her thesis, Kim is studying Asian American workers and their experiences disclosing mental health in the workplace.

“Disclosure has always been something that’s been interesting to me, and lately, even on campus, I feel like more people are open to disclose, ‘Oh yeah, I have depression or I’m going through something,’” Kim said. “I noticed that a lot of people that were saying [this] weren’t my Asian friends.”

After noticing these differences, Kim had the idea to combine this with her background in industrial organizational psychology to study how the workplace affects disclosure.

Sowmya Viswanathan, a social policy analysis major, is working with law firm Wren Collective for her capstone.

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

SHRUTI PATANKAR / THRESHER

CALEB LIN FOR THE THRESHER

GUILLIAN PAGUILA / THRESHER

Rice Theatre brings hilarity, chaos to stage in ‘The Comedy of Errors’

Rife with slapstick humor and cheeky wordplay, Rice Theatre’s production of “The Comedy of Errors” took the stage at Hamman Hall, sending off a final round of performances to laughter and cheers Oct. 26. The shortest of Shakespeare’s comedies, the play features two sets of identical twins separated at birth whose paths cross in the port city Ephesus, resulting in mishap and havoc.

Theatre professor Christina Keefe, who directed the play, said she wanted to bring a Shakespearean play to Rice.

“We all thought that it was time to get Shakespeare back on our roster,” Keefe wrote in an email to the Thresher. “We went for ‘The Comedy of Errors’ because of the cast size allowing for more students and the zany quality of the plot.”

The final performance received a warm reception with 138 attendees, according to stage manager Cece Gonzalez.

Meet the ACL artist: Emei

ARMAN SAXENA A&E EDITOR

“This is me and my band’s first festival, so it’s a big moment for us,” Emei said at her Austin City Limits show Oct. 12. “We’ve never ever done a festival, so it’s going to be awesome.”

On a hot Austin afternoon, Emei brought vibrant energy to the stage and thrilled the crowd. For the 24-year-old artist, interacting with her audience is at the heart of every performance.

“It’s fun to watch people light up,” Emei said. “That’s always been my favorite thing about performing — seeing their faces change as they get into it.”

Throughout her set, Emei kept the crowd engaged with call-andresponse bits, and even sent a camera through the crowd, capturing the joyful chaos she stirred up.

said. “They’re here today, actually. My whole family flew in, and there’s like ten of them watching my set.”

During her ACL performance, Emei gave a shout-out to her family, even playing a half-Chinese cover of Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning” in their honor. Reflecting on her path to music, Emei admitted that college wasn’t always easy.

“At one point, I had a panic attack in microecon and was like, ‘I need to drop this class or I’m gonna lose my mind.’”

Still, she credits those years with helping her grow creatively.

“I knew I wanted to do music, but I didn’t know what that meant. A lot of college was me experimenting … writing, collaborating and even putting on band shows.”

Emei said she had moments of doubt along the way, though.

a lot of people who have acted since they were very young. There are other people like me who’ve only done musicals. There are people here who it was their first time doing a show here, [like] Jadir [DaSilva, who played Antipholus of Ephesus] and did a great job,”

De Jong said that it was also her first time performing at Rice, and she enjoyed working with the members of Rice Theatre.

“We had a lot of great direction from [Keefe] and a really good cast to work with,” De Jong said. ”Katie Murano as my twin [Dromio of Syracuse] was awesome, and we were able to match each other’s energy,”

Puerto said that performing Shakespeare presented a challenge during preparation for him and required different methods of memorization.

Comedy lends itself naturally to laughter, and that’s just such a great way to exchange energy.

Jordi De Jong

DROMIO OF EPHESUS ACTRESS

“It was a really hilarious show, and the audience reaction was really strong, especially tonight on closing night,” said Gonzalez, a Baker College sophomore. “ People really turned out with the laughs, the joy.”

“Having an audience helps bring energy and life back to me as an actor,” said Jordi De Jong, who starred as Dromio of Ephesus, one of the two sets of twins. “Comedy lends itself naturally to laughter, and that’s just such a great way to exchange energy.”

Amanda Simpson, an audience member, said that she was impressed with how expressive the cast was in every exchange.

“There’s always something going on on everybody’s faces … Every beat there’s someone to laugh at and something to keep everything rolling forward,” Simpson, a McMurtry College senior, said. “It’s so understandable and accessible.”

Julian Puerto, who played Antipholus of Syracuse, twin to Antipholus of Ephesus, said that the show brought people with different amounts of theater experiences together.

“This was my first play,” Puerto, a junior at Hanszen College, said. “There are

“There’s a specific way that the cadence works and that you have to prepare for it,” Puerto said. “I used a pre-recorded version of the show that was done professionally to help me with memorizing, which was most of the challenge.”

De Jong said a lot of rehearsal also went into the fight scenes, which were coordinated by fight choreographer Kyle Clark.

“Even though you might not think there’s that much that goes behind it, there was a lot of planning and practicing and making sure everything was safe,” De Jong said. “Kyle helped bring all the scenes that had a lot of physical contact to life and make sure we were very safe and comfortable the whole time.”

Gonzalez said that the universality of performing Shakespeare makes the play stand out.

“We’re in Italy in the middle of the 20th century, but we could be anywhere,” Gonzalez said. “We could be on the moon, we could be cowboys in the Wild West, and people would get the story and would like it. It speaks to how much Shakespeare understands people and can make them laugh.”

“Shakespeare isn’t unique in itself because Shakespeare is so well known,” Puerto continued. “It’s the fact that we can bring Shakespeare to the Rice community, especially now where musicals or other modern plays might be more popular.”

“It sometimes feels like catching Pokémon,” Emei said. “Some people don’t know my music at first, but then I play, and my job is to make everyone light up. Every time someone gets excited, I’m like, ‘Yesss, did that.’”

At the end of the day, I just want to jump and have fun on stage, and if the crowd is having fun too, then I know I’ve done my job.

Emei MUSICIAN

Though she tailors her music to be engaging for live shows, Emei emphasizes that having fun comes first in her songwriting process.

“If I’m having fun while writing, it’s usually easy to turn it into something fun to perform,” she said.

Her most recent music, including tracks from her EP, “Scatterbrain”, leans heavily into pop with experimental touches.

“It’s ear-candy focused, whimsical, and a little trippy — I wanted to stay in this ‘Alice in Wonderland’-inspired world.”

Emei’s musical journey started early. Born to Chinese immigrant parents, she started singing at age 9 and gigging in New Jersey as a teenager. Her family’s unwavering support has been a key part of her journey.

“They’re really proud of me,” she

“Coming from an immigrant family, music didn’t feel like a path I knew how to take. I’d think, ‘Maybe I should be a consultant, move to New York, make some money.’ But my best friends were like, ‘This is where you shine. You should at least try.’”

The artist said that she is grateful for the support system that has helped her pursue her dreams.

“A lot of people rooted for me, and I don’t think I’d be here without them.”

With her whimsical style and love for connecting with her audience, Emei’s journey is just beginning.

“I want to push myself with this next project,” she said. “It’s more of a growing-up EP — some songs are serious, some are just fun. It’s about panicking, going down the rabbit hole and coming back out again.”

Whether she’s performing at ACL or headlining her own shows, Emei said she is all about bringing joy to her fans.

“At the end of the day, I just want to jump and have fun on stage,” she said. “And if the crowd is having fun too, then I know I’ve done my job.”

HOPE YANG THRESHER STAFF

JULES HOUSTON

ARMAN SAXENA / THRESHER Emei performs at weekend two of the Austin City Limits music festival, in her first-ever festival performance.

‘Outer Banks’ actors Daviss and North talk new season

EDITORS

The Pogues are back. This latest season of “Outer Banks” kicked off Oct. 10 with the first half of the fourth season out on Netflix now. Fans of the show don’t have to wait too long: The second half reaches audiences Nov. 7. Stars Jonathan Daviss and Austin North — who play Pope and Topper, respectively — spoke with the Thresher about the North Carolina teenagers’ forthcoming adventures.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Rice Thresher: ‘Outer Banks’ has introduced new villains and allies alike this season. How have you prepared to interact with these new characters, and how have they impacted your characters’ journeys?

Jonathan Daviss: I think a big part about the new villains is always the mystery that’s around them. So, the cool part is really just figuring out how these new villains are going to relate to us and impact the plot.

The main thing with the villains is just really figuring out where they come from.

There was a big moment this year in the first half of the episodes, where one of the characters has a major person in their life die due to one of the villains. You get to see how dangerous they are and what their connection is to the treasure. Really ups the stakes.

Austin North: I think it’s what makes the show. It adds that suspense factor, and there’s got to be the enemies coming after the gold.

RT: How has your approach to embodying your character changed throughout the seasons, both as you’ve grown older and as your characters have developed?

JD: When we started, we put so much of ourselves into these people, definitely tried to make them feel as realistic as we possibly could. And then as the plot happens and we learn things about the characters, and the events of the series unfold, we try to find new ways to keep it fresh.

AN: I think season one Topper was a little one-dimensional, in the sense that he was kind of the rich kid Kook who didn’t get along with the Pogues. In season two I wanted to show a little bit more personality, a little more me in the character.

RT: Pope’s leadership qualities have grown a lot, as the show has gone on. How do you see his role in the group evolving?

JD: I don’t think Pope was onedimensional, but in that first season it definitely read like he was the nerd. You know, when I was in high school, I kept straight A’s, I was in all the accelerated classes, and I was also an athlete and did football. Just because you’re smart doesn’t make you one-dimensional.

Being able to take a character who started off very meek and unassuming and goody-two-shoes, and being able to unfold his psyche … He’s actually pretty layered.

RT: You two deal with a lot of action, and physically exerting scenes, particularly in this season. Do those scenes help in the acting process, by allowing you to immerse yourself completely in the moment, or is it a bit more difficult to act while also engaging your full body?

AN: In the first episode, that big dirt bike race was so much fun to film. Working with this incredible stunt team, we took two weeks to put that together. Switching from the stunt work to having the dialogue with the Pogues, with JJ and John B, you’re a little exhausted at some points. But we know how to balance it out and save our energy.

JD: From our fights in season one to now, in episode five of this season we’re crawling through rats and tunnels. There’s something about being really physical that just takes yourself there mentally, so you don’t have to push too hard when something’s happening. It’s like if you feel cold, you’ll play cold on screen. It’s just like your body reacts.

RT: The treasure hunts in ‘Outer Banks’ often involve intricate puzzles

and historical references. Did you do any special research or preparation to bring authenticity to these scenes?

JD: A lot of pronunciation things. But we did look into the history of the Berber people … We shot a lot in Morocco this season, that will be in the second part. Being able to go to that country, I think just always enveloping yourself in the history of it is cool. Seeing where the fiction comes in and where the fact comes in, what’s real and what’s not. I think that’s something the writers have a lot of fun playing with, when trying to tell the story.

AN: I’ve got to give props to [Daviss] too, because it’s just a lot of information to retain. I feel like Pope’s kind of the brains of the operation, and I know as an actor it’s not easy.

JD: Exposition is the worst thing to act, by the way.

AN: Right. Everything has to be so spoton, otherwise it just won’t make sense.

RT: ‘Outer Banks’ has been very successful, amassing millions of views with every new season. Compared to shooting the first season, before knowing it would take off, do you feel

like the show’s enormous success adds to the pressure on your performance?

JD: When we were shooting the first season, we had no idea what was going to happen. Shooting [the first], we’re like ‘We hope we get a second season.’ Felt a lot of pressure for that second season to deliver. Once the second season did well, I felt like everything from there was icing on the cake. We’re happy that people were still resonating with these characters. Always want to give them a great season, always feel like we want to put our best foot forward. But we’ve been doing this for five years now, we really kind of just slip into it when we do it.

AN: I felt the most pressure probably in season one. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into or what the show was going to be. I had never done single-camera [shows], I had always done multi-camera sitcom stuff, so that was a whole other learning experience. Season one came out and it was a success, and I was like ‘Alright, let’s just keep doing what we’re doing. It’s working.’

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

Have some spooky fun with these Halloween activities

The Houston area offers several haunted houses and similar experiences for those with a hunger for horror.

saloon” and a paintball shooting gallery in addition to its haunted houses.

“Nightly Spirits” ghost tour

Located in downtown, Nightly Spirits offers combination ghost tours and pub crawls that feature the haunted history and illustrious ales of Houston.

Their signature “Booze and Boos” guided tour lasts two and a half hours and explores several haunted sites, including a few bars that have more than one kind of spirit. If you can’t manage to squeeze in their Halloween tour, don’t fret. “Booze and Boos” runs all year.

Zoo Boo

If you’re looking for a Halloween experience that’s more cute than creepy, head to the nearby Houston Zoo for their annual “Zoo Boo” experience. For the whole month of October, the zoo is decked out in its seasonal best, with pumpkins and photo-ops aplenty. Extended hours are also available on certain dates, allowing visitors to admire the sparkle and decor until 9:30 p.m.

Halloween costumes are thrown out in the U.S. every year, but by purchasing pieces second-hand rather than a whole costume ready-made, you’ll be reducing that number.

Festive baking

To make it feel like fall, even though it’s still in the high ’80s, do some seasonal baking! Look to YouTube or Pinterest for visual inspiration – there are no shortage of recipes that use autumnal flavors like pumpkin, apple and cinnamon, among others. Be on the lookout for deals at the grocery store, especially as the season wraps up and stores need to get rid of their old stack before wintry ingredients hit the shelves. If you’re planning on going on an “evening run” on Halloween, make sure to pick up a can of shaving cream while you’re out.

Budget option: Freaky fruit

Halloween is quickly approaching, and on its heels comes the unofficial start of the holiday season. If you’re trying to enjoy the end of autumn before your pumpkin spice is replaced with peppermint and the Monster Mash by Mariah Carey, read further for some festive activities.

houses

Houston Scream Fest, located south of Houston by Hobby Airport, offers concerts, carnival games and a food court in addition to four separate haunted house experiences.

Phobia, located off of the Sam Houston Parkway by Brookside village, offers a staggering eight haunted houses, each with unique themes. The Houston Terror Dome offers escape rooms, a “selfie

Thrifting for Halloween costumes

If you’re looking to dress up for the day but haven’t put together a costume yet, don’t fret. Houston’s thrift shops are full of unique clothes and eclectic accessories to round out your Halloween fit without straining your wallet. As a bonus, you’ll be shrinking your environmental impact: 35 million

Don’t have a car? Grocery store out of pumpkins or carving tools? This thrifty option only needs a meal swipe or two and a Sharpie. Just grab a few fruits from the servery: oranges and bananas are best, but apples can work as well if they’re wrapped in plastic. Once you have your substitute gourds gathered, take your Sharpie and let your creativity run wild! You can draw a traditional jack-o’-lantern grin, spooky patterns, your professor’s face — the opportunities are endless.

JULIANA LIGHTSEY & ARMAN SAXENA A&E

Haunted

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER

SARAH MOTTELER THRESHER STAFF

JULIANA LIGHTSEY / THRESHER

Outer Banks actors Austin North (left) and Jonathan Daviss (right). North and Daviss starred as Topper and Pope, respectively, in the Netflix show’s fourth season.

‘Pressure is a privilege’:

ANDERSEN PICKARD ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Seven months after their American Athletic Conference tournament championship, the Rice women’s basketball team returns to the court to defend their title.

Rice entered its first AAC tournament as the No. 10 seed but went on a four-game winning streak, securing a bid in the NCAA women’s bracket. The Owls drew Louisiana State University in the first round and put up an admirable fight before falling to the Angel Reese-led squad, 70-60.

Head coach Lindsay Edmonds acknowledges that Rice’s conference tournament championship has earned them villain status in the AAC.

“Pressure is a privilege,” Edmonds said. “We do have a little bit of a target on our back. I’ve been a part of a program that won back-to-back conference championships — that first one’s hard, but the second one is really, really hard, because everyone is going to give you their best shot.”

Edmonds said the players remain dedicated to getting better every day through practices and games. Part of their mission includes staying mentally strong to avoid hitting lulls throughout the year, such as the five-game losing streak they endured at the end of the 2023-24 regular season. They also want to dominate winnable games, which means if they’re projected to win by 20 points, they win by 20 points, not just nine or 10, according to Edmonds.

“The motivation definitely has been different [this offseason] now that we have tasted what it’s like to get to March Madness and to win the championship,” senior forward Malia Fisher said. “That’s something we want to get back to. We want a ring.”

All eyes on Rice WBB’s quest to defend title

While some teams may not handle a high-pressure message well, Edmonds said this year’s Owls can.

“A year or two ago, I couldn’t say those things to the team,” Edmonds said. “They wouldn’t have been able to handle that pressure. But I think this team appreciates it; they want it, and they’re ready to step up to the challenges.”

The Owls returned the bulk of last season’s roster, which should give them an advantage in their quest to win the AAC. However, they’ll still have to fill the massive void left by Destiny Jackson, who graduated.

“No one is able to be what [Jackson] was for us last year, but every single person has to step up and bring a little bit more so that we can fill her shoes,” Edmonds said. “People are looking at different roles, people are looking at different positions, people are looking at different playing times.”

Edmonds has confidence in her roster to survive the loss of Jackson, citing their increased mental strength.

“This team is the most veteran and the most mature team I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Edmonds said. “I can challenge them in ways that a year or two ago, I couldn’t, because we weren’t mentally mature enough to handle that.”

When asked about the players she’s excited for this season, Edmonds couldn’t pick just one. She named 10 different players, including Fisher, who has extended her range and gotten better from the perimeter, senior center Sussy Ngulefac, whose new outside shot could elevate her game to the next level, and junior guard Jazzy Owens-Barnett, who is running the team as Jackson’s replacement at point guard.

“I still text [Jackson] a couple times a

week asking for advice,” Owens-Barnett said. “[I’m] not necessarily trying to fill her shoes — those are pretty humongous shoes to fill — but being able to just take on the role in my own way and be able to lead the team in a way that I know she would still be proud of.”

The Owls also have a few additions, including sophomore guard Victoria Flores, who transferred to South Main from Texas Christian University, and freshmen guards Jill Twiehaus and Aniah Alexis.

Rice’s recent tournament championship and March Madness berth have helped lure talented players like Flores, Twiehaus and Alexis, as well as future recruits and commits, to the program.

“The Rice degree is incredible, but now you’re talking about being a champion, playing in the [AAC], competing at a high level and going to the NCAA tournament,” Edmonds said. “Before, I was saying that

we were going to do those things. Now, I’m saying we’ve done those things.”

The Owls’ regular season opens on Nov. 4 against South Dakota State University. The Jackrabbits have earned NCAA tournament bids in each of the last two seasons, going 56-12 over that span. They haven’t lost a conference game since March 3, 2022.

The game against SDSU not only pits Rice against a tough opponent but also gives the Owls an opportunity to celebrate last season’s success. The program will reveal their championship banner and hand out their rings prior to the seasonopening conference, setting a standard of winning as the quest to defend their title gets underway.

“We need a big crowd here for [the SDSU game],” Edmonds said. “We want to celebrate last year’s success, but we want to get out to a great start this year, as well.”

10 candidates to replace Mike Bloomgren as Rice football’s head coach

A head coaching gig might be enticing enough to lure Mack from the NFL back to the collegiate level.

snuck into the AP Top 25 earlier this year after an upset victory over No. 8 University of Notre Dame.

Rice shook up its football leadership Sunday, firing head coach

Mike Bloomgren in the middle of his seventh season at the program’s helm. Athletic director Tommy McClelland said he intends to lead a national search for Rice’s next head coach immediately. Here are 10 candidates to replace Bloomgren as the Owls look to be American Athletic Conference contenders in 2025 and beyond.

Casey Woods (Age 41)

Currently: Southern Methodist University offensive coordinator and tight ends coach

Woods’ resume includes stops at various prominent NCAA programs, as well as two teams in the AAC. He currently leads an SMU offense that ranks 26th among FBS teams in total offense and 17th in total yards.

Jerry Mack (Age 41)

Currently: Jacksonville Jaguars running backs coach

Mack has strong ties to Rice, where he was the assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for three years. Since then, he has fortified his resume as the running backs coach for both the University of Tennessee and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Skip Holtz (Age 60)

Currently: Birmingham Stallions head coach

Holtz, who now leads a UFL franchise, is no stranger to Rice football, coaching against the Owls numerous times during his 14 seasons with two different programs in Conference USA. He also has strong ties to McClelland, who was his athletic director for seven years at Louisiana Tech University.

Clint Killough (Age 31)

Currently: University of the Incarnate Word head coach

Killough might be the latest success story from Incarnate Word’s apparent FCS-to-FBS coaching pipeline, following in the footsteps of Eric Morris and G.J. Kinne. Just 31 years old, he has impressed through parts of two seasons as UIW’s head coach, going 14-4 (9-1 in conference).

Wesley Beschorner (Age 41)

Currently: Northern Illinois University offensive coordinator and running backs coach

Beschorner previously spent one year as Rice’s quarterbacks coach and is now in charge of the offense at Northern Illinois University, which

Peter Rossomando (Age 52)

Currently: Lamar University head coach

Rossomando was the interim head coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for a four-game stretch in 2022 that included a 5623 win over Rice. He also has ties to McClelland from their one-year overlap at Vanderbilt University in 2020. Now, Rossomando has led Lamar to a 6-5 record (5-2 in conference) this season.

Drew Mehringer (Age 36)

Currently: University of Oregon tight ends coach

Mehringer is a former Rice quarterback and student assistant who has risen through the ranks in college football. He has been on the coaching staff for three different Texas-based programs and is now the tight ends coach at No. 1-ranked Oregon. Rice might be able to poach him from the Ducks before he commands Power Four head coaching interest next year.

Jon Kay (Age 50)

Currently: Rice linebackers coach

Kay is the only in-house name on this list. The Owls hired him away from a dominant Galena Park North

Shore High School program less than two years ago, and he has quickly made his mark within a strong Rice linebackers room. Kay compiled a 117-18 record in nine seasons at North Shore, leading the Mustangs to four 6A state championships.

Tim Beck (Age 58)

Currently: Vanderbilt University offensive coordinator

Beck has an impressive offensive coaching resume at various Division I programs, including in-state at Texas Christian University. Now, in his first season at Vanderbilt, Beck’s offensive savvy has helped lead the Commodores to a 5-3 record, including a win over the University of Alabama, and the No. 25 spot in the AP Top 25 after Week 8.

Mike Mutz (Age 47)

Currently: Stephen F. Austin State University defensive coordinator

Not many coaches make the jump from FCS coordinator to FBS head coach, but Mutz is an appealing candidate. He was previously in charge of a Tulane University linebackers room that was one of the best in the nation, helping lead the Green Wave to a 2022 AAC title. This year’s Stephen F. Austin defense has allowed just 17 points per game, which is the 11th-best mark in FCS and has the Lumberjacks sitting at 5-3.

KATHLEEN ORTIZ / THRESHER Senior forward Malia Fisher dribbles the ball during a game last season.

Bloomgren’s firing is the second major dismissal made by McClelland since joining Rice in August 2023. Last March, he dismissed men’s basketball head coach Scott Pera after the program finished 11-21 in the AAC.

McClelland conducted a nationwide search for Pera’s replacement before settling on former Southern Methodist University head coach Rob Lanier, and he will now lead a similar search for the university’s next football coach starting immediately.

In the meantime, Pete Alamar will serve as the Owls’ interim head coach. He joined Rice football as the program’s associate head coach and special teams coordinator in 2023.

Alamar said that he’s not focused

on auditioning for the head coaching job.

“I’ve been entrusted to lead this program for the next five weeks,” he said. “All I’m concerned about is putting our guys in the best position to play fast, play free and have an opportunity to win games. Period.”

Alamar’s previous experience includes coaching at the University of Arizona, the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. He has also helped lead teams to a bowl game 19 times in his career.

Rice still has four games remaining on its 2024 schedule. The Owls, who are one loss away from being eliminated from bowl contention, will face the United States Naval Academy this Saturday, Nov. 2 at home. Navy is 6-1 this season and 4-0 in games against AAC opponents.

Sports Mini #3

Stinging caterpillar Elizabethan playwright Thomas

Cause of the Willy’s Pub Fire of April 1995

Soccer shoots for November championships

Heading into their final game of the season last year, Rice soccer — who was already out of contention for a conference tournament title — was simply looking to win their first home game. This year, the tides have turned: They’ve only lost one home game and currently rank third place in the conference, clinching a spot in the postseason.

This switch returns Rice soccer to the successes they had been used to since head coach Brian Lee joined the program in 2019, a change which Lee attributes to new players and the work that the team has put in since the end of last season.

“[The biggest differences have been] the addition of impact transfers, an excellent freshman class, returnees’ offseason dedication to fitness, great work by our strength and conditioning coach Bailey Deering. And our leadership group has been outstanding,” Lee said.

Senior midfielder Catarina Albuquerque has seen the highs and lows of Rice soccer after five years with the program and said she believes that the team’s ability to adapt to new environments has propelled them to success this year.

“I think that this year, our team has taken everything we learned last year and has focused on improving in all aspects of the game,” Albuquerque said. “Our team culture is in a very good place, everyone knows their role on the

team and is fully bought into that role. I also think that the new players have settled into the team very well, which has in turn allowed for a very smooth transition coming into the season.”

One of these graduate transfers, midfielder Leah Chancey, has had an important role on the team with nine goals and four assists this season. She said she attributes her team’s success to a collective effort.

“The things I have contributed to my team’s success are our hard work on and off the field, our loving support of each other and our will to win,” Chancey said. “I personally have given the team all that I possibly can to contribute to our success. From the start of last spring, we all developed grit as a trait. This has helped us persevere through everything and end up excelling in our fall season.”

Other additions like freshmen forwards Allie Love and Camille Quarterman, who are tied for most assists on the team, freshman defender Lilly Reuscher and graduate defender Kat Lazor have also had positive impacts on the team. According to Lee, he found what he was looking for in the recruitment process.

“We were looking for impact players, but just as much impact personalities, and they have helped make a big difference in the day-to-day environment around the team,” Lee said.

After a five-game unbeaten streak, the Owls lost two straight games against No. 16 University of Memphis and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Rice’s senior day. Despite these results, the team’s main goals remain in the postseason, both in conference and possibly in the NCAA tournament.

“I always have high expectations for our team and know that if we

continue working hard and doing what we have been doing, we can win the regular season and win the conference tournament too,” Albuquerque said. “It would be great to see the team be rewarded for all the hard work we have been putting in for the last 10 months.”

Chancey agreed, emphasizing the team’s desire to play their best soccer in November.

“We always talk about peaking in November, and I believe we are on track to do that,” Chancey said. “I also would love to see our team win our conference, as well as the conference tournament. When we do this, we will get into the NCAA tournament. That will be an amazing event to be a part of and is well deserved through our hard work.”

Rice plays its last regular season game of the year away at Eastern Carolina University Thursday, Oct. 31 at 6:05 p.m., streaming on ESPN+. The AAC Championships will begin the following Monday, Nov. 4, in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

KAIRI MANO / THRESHER

Former head football coach Mike Bloomgren walks into Rice Stadium. Bloomgren was fired Oct. 27.

DIEGO PALOS RODRIGUEZ ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

CAYDEN CHEN / THRESHER

The soccer team celebrates a goal during the Sept. 26 home game against The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Rice won 2-1.

What you’ll need:

McDonald Trump

• From Jones School: Red tie from MBA student’s traveling tie collection

• From servery: Apron, French fries

Assembly:

1. Lay face up in the middle of the Academic Quad to develop a crisp tan

2. Learn to speak with Trump’s experimental, stream-of-consciousness rhetoric

3. Walk around offering people cold servery fries

4. Make Halloweekend at Rice Great Again (MHRGA)

Hawk Tuah

What you’ll need:

• From your closet: cowboy hat from Martel Texas, gathering dust

• From laundry room: Bleach

• From Fondren DMC: Podcast microphone

Assembly:

1. Bleach your hair Hawk Tuah Blonde

2. Rewear your cowboy getup from Martel Texas

3. Talk Tuah hot people at the function for your podcast

4. Spit on that thang, repeatedly.

5. Put your back into it!

A.J. and Big Justice

What you’ll need:

• From servery: Two chocolate chip cookies

• Baseball cap

Assembly:

1. Still water mango mango “They Not Like Us” Pig State incident (Those who know button → )

2. Cycle through following catchphrases:

a. We’re Costco guys!

b. We bring the BOOM!

c. It’s a double chunk chocolate cookie!

3. Say “BOOM!” after every sentence! BOOM!

Challengers

What you’ll need:

• From the Rec: two tennis rackets, two pairs of 3” red Adidas tennis shorts from the locker room

• From South Servery: Churro

• Two unsuspecting love interests you can’t pick between, ideally roommates or lifelong pals

Assembly:

1. Invite aforementioned love interests for a casual night time tennis match in your room. BOOM!

Ghost

Challengers Ghost

What you’ll need:

• Bedsheet

• Pair of scissors

Assembly:

1. Place bedsheet over your head

2. Cut holes in bedsheet according to your costume of choice:

a. Ghost of Mike Bloomgren: 52 holes for 52 losses

b. Ghost of NOD: cut extra holes in all of the right places

c. Ghost of Lovett: no holes to avoid letting in natural light

The Backpage is the satire section of the Thresher, written this week by Andrew Kim, Will Howley, Charlie Maxson, and Max Scholl and designed by Lauren Yu. For questions