Student organizations form coalition to support SA referenda
Student organizations form coalition to support SA referenda
Four Student Association referenda open for the general student body vote today at noon. The referenda call for disclosure of Rice Management Company holdings and divestment from entities that profit off the Israel-Hamas war. The referenda also ask that Rice release a statement condemning genocide and materially support anti-colonial scholarship. Voting will close Dec. 11 at noon and the results will be published the next day. For the referenda to pass, a twothirds majority with a 20% student body turnout is needed.
Amy Hobby: from Rice to Oscar nominee
Before its permanent closure in 2021, the Rice Media Center was home to film students at Rice. One particular alumna, Academy Award-nominated producer Amy Hobby ’87, has been one of the most notable people to come out of Rice’s film department, having worked alongside Tim Burton, David Lynch and Steven Soderbergh throughout her three-decade career.
[There were] so few students, so I could be in the projection booth and there was informality about it that made it feel like you were in this club.
Amy Hobby RICE UNIVERSITY ’87
During her time at Rice, the Media Center hosted film screenings and talks from directors such as Richard Lester, Bruce Bailey and Stan Brakhage. Hobby said her time in the Media Center was full of freedom due to the film program’s intimacy.
“[There were] so few students, so I could
be in the projection booth and there was informality about it that made it feel like you were in this club,” Hobby said in an interview with the Thresher. “I just looked around and saw stuff in the world and went out and filmed stuff.”
At Rice, Hobby started to make films of her own, creating documentary and experimental films with topics ranging from alligator hunting to primal scream therapy centers. Hobby cited Rice’s associate professor of film Brian Huberman as a major part of her experience, and said that her learning experiences with
Huberman were responsible for her love of documentary and experimental film.
“He was shooting a film about the Alamo,” Hobby said. “I was pretty good at shooting as a pretty good camera person, so I got to go with him one time and shoot for him … I loved it in every way.”
Since her time at Rice, Hobby has produced critically acclaimed films like “Secretary,” “Hamlet” and “What Happened, Miss Simone?” for which she was nominated for an Academy Award.
SEE HOBBY PAGE 8
STEVEN BURGESS / THRESHER Filmmaker and producer Amy Hobby spoke at a screening of her recent film at the Houston Cinema Arts Festival in November. Hobby graduated from Rice in 1987, and credits her undergraduate years for sparking an early career in film.
Jae Kim named Rhodes Scholar, Rice’s first recipient in a decade
Rice senior Jae Kim was named a 2025 Rhodes Scholar, the only recipient from a Texas university and the first Rice student to receive the award since 2015. The Rhodes Scholarship is awarded to 32 American students annually to study at Oxford University for up to three years.
“I’ve always wanted to have a global impact in my future career, but it wasn’t until very recently that I really came to understand the Rhodes Scholarship as
a means of doing so,” Kim, a Brown College senior, wrote in an email to the Thresher. “[It’s] a bit crazy to me that there are students that come into college having this as a goal.”
“I applied for the Rhodes Scholarship because I believe that you miss all the shots you don’t take, but I’m still in disbelief about receiving it,” Kim wrote.
“When the judges first called my name as one of the two scholars [from District 8], I remember instinctively standing up in shock.”
Kim worked with the Texas Consortium for the Non-Medical
Drivers of Health to develop their online program index, a digital repository and resource list geared toward researchers and providers. Consortium researchers study conditions where people live and work that affect health risks and outcomes.
Jacquie Klotz, one of Kim’s supervisors and program manager for the consortium, said that although Kim never mentioned the scholarship, she always knew he would do impressive things.
SEE KIM PAGE 2
Nineteen student organizations announced the formation of the Rice Coalition for Liberation in support of the referenda in an Instagram post Nov. 20. In a statement released by RCL, the coalition says it is committed to “collective liberation.”
“We commit to being the conscience of this university, continually working toward a more equitable Rice,” the statement reads.
The statement says that the RCL’s first action is to support the SA referenda.
We commit to being the conscience of this university, continually working toward a more equitable Rice. Rice Coalition for Liberation Statement
“An expression of popular student support demonstrates to the university administration that they are at odds with the will of its students,” the statement reads.
The coalition statement then expresses support for each of the referenda, including divestment from Israel-aligned companies and a focus on anti-colonial scholarship.
“Divesting from weapons manufacturers and companies profiting from the genocide in Gaza would be a form of resistance, undermining the economic and political structures supporting the apartheid state of Israel’s actions and reducing the financial viability of its military operations,” the statement reads.
“By establishing this scholarship, Rice can play a pivotal role in rebuilding Gaza’s academic strength and supporting the global fight for justice,” the statement reads. “This scholarship should be open to all victims of colonial violence, offering them the opportunity to pursue their education at Rice and contribute to reimagining a more equitable world.”
Matti Haacke, a Rice Students for Justice in Palestine representative, said that SJP initiated the formation of the coalition but aims to work alongside all the involved parties in its mission for collective liberation.
NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER
STEVEN BURGESS FOR THE THRESHER
ABIGAIL CHIU THRESHER STAFF
JAMES CANCELARICH ASST. NEWS EDITOR
“The coalition has collaborated on social media outreach, as well as highlighting collective messaging around the referendums at individual [organization] events, as well as mobilizing volunteers to table in support of the referendums,” Haacke, a Sid Richardson College senior, wrote in a message to the Thresher.
Solomon Ni, president of the Rice Young Democratic Socialists, handed out pamphlets in Jones College that explained and voiced support for the referenda Dec. 2.
Ni said his organization signed on to the RCL letter because he identified with the goals of the referenda, especially anti-colonial scholarship, and that he wanted to support people in the Rice community. Ni said he supported the coalition through student outreach.
“Joining the coalition … to the MSA … means following Islamic guidance to speak against oppression in all its forms. It means supporting students who are deeply affected by what’s happening when the campus fails to acknowledge it or provide support for them,” they wrote. “It means advocating for students’ families overseas who are forced to endure that violent oppression every day without the same basic resources, rights and speech privileges that students have in the United States.”
Rice Urban Agriculture is another organization that joined the coalition.
We didn’t see any reason not to join because ... our mission aligns with SJP’s. At the garden, we focus a lot on inclusivity and gardening for everybody … and I think that’s kind of what SJP is doing on a broader scale.
Isabelle Chang RICE URBAN AGRICULTURE PRESIDENT
“We will do our best in terms of tabling and making sure that people know what is on their ballot and educating them about each and every referendum that is there,” Ni, a Jones College senior, said.
Ni said that while the coalition initially formed to support the Students for Justice in Palestine, its plans extend beyond just the referenda.
“I think educational events are definitely in the cards, and I think that other ways that we can show our support is trying to get people to recognize the atrocities that are going on in Gaza,” Ni said.
Reem Abbas and Saif Ganni, copresidents of Rice Muslim Student Association, wrote in a message to the Thresher that the organization joined the RCL because it was their obligation to call out injustice.
Isabelle Chang, the president of the organization, said that her organization sent out a poll after an officer brought up RCL.
“We didn’t see any reason not to join because ... I think, our mission aligns with SJPs,” Chang, a McMurtry College senior, said. “At the garden, we focus a lot on inclusivity and gardening for everybody … and I think that’s kind of what SJP is doing on a broader scale.”
Chang said that while she personally supports that referenda, Rice Urban Agriculture views organizing to support the referenda as outside of the scope of the organization.
Oscar Vietor is the chair of the SA Labor Commission, one of the three SA commissions that joined RCL. Vietor said that although he was not familiar with the referenda, he supported scholarship by colonial victims.
“I think that students and laborers everywhere need to support one another, and being a coalition member is how the Labor Commission is showing that support,” Vietor, a Wiess College sophomore, wrote in a message to the Thresher.
“I’ve rarely handed things to him that don’t get better after he’s worked with them. So on top of being intellectually curious, he’s very driven and very passionate about the work he does,” Klotz said. “I had no doubts about Jae doing something that would have a major impact. I’m very happy and proud of him for taking that to the Rhodes Scholarship because it’s just the first step on his journey.”
Kim currently serves as the president of the Student Association and has previously served as president of Brown College.
Sara Davidson, current Brown president, worked under Kim as Brown’s internal vice president last year. She said she has seen him grow and embrace his ability to make an impact.
At Oxford, Kim plans to pursue dual Master of Science degrees in environmental change and management and evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation.
“Beyond academics, I hope to build valuable connections during my time at Oxford that would allow me to pursue effective collaborations on climate [and] health issues in a future career,” Kim wrote. “Although the work that I want to do has not changed pre- [and] post-Rhodes Scholar, the scope and scale at which I am able to visualize myself having this impact has shifted greatly.”
Kim said he plans to pursue an MD and a master’s in public health after returning to the United States and ultimately a career as a climate health advocate.
My mission is to bring to the world’s attention how human health and the health of the planet are inextricably connected.
“I’ve seen Jae go through many shades of hair. I’ve seen him when he was green. I’ve seen him blonde. I’ve seen him now with his ombré thing we’ve got going on,” Davidson, a senior, said. “I’ve seen him be unafraid to take on new challenges and even say that he wants to do something unconventional. He knows that Rice has built him up to have those resources, and also to be excited for the unconventional because it’s going to lead him to something
Jae Kim RHODES SCHOLAR
“I want to develop and advocate for climate policy that preserves human health at the local, national and global levels,” Kim wrote. “I will work with local communities to mitigate the very real human cost of climate change, campaign for social interventions and policy changes at the national level and build coalitions for the global stage. My mission is to bring to the world’s attention how human health and the health of the planet are inextricably
Chaus closes due to water leak, ‘tentatively hoping’ to reopen Dec. 5
announced its closure in a Dec. 1 Instagram post, citing “unseen circumstances.”
Although no official date has been announced, Chaus is aiming for a Dec. 5 reopening, said both Alysa Bijl-Spiro, Chaus’ general manager, and Caitlin Lindsay,
Director of Student Center Operations.
“We found out on Sunday morning that there was a significant water leak in the ceiling of Coffeehouse which drenched the space behind the bar,” Lindsay wrote in an email to the Thresher. “We had to wait for everything to dry out to see which equipment was still working and for Facilities & Capital Planning to inspect the space before we’d be able to reopen.”
me because this is the only place I usually get my coffee from.”
Brown College junior Gabriel Ong also expressed disappointment.
[A manager] told me that they have closed and could not tell me the reason. They could not tell me when they would reopen, either.
Aryaman Agrawal MBA STUDENT
Bijl-Spiro said Lindsay alerted Chaus management to the leak, and collectively decided to close the area for a few days to assess the damage.
MBA student Aryaman Agrawal said that he did not expect Chaus to be closed.
“[A manager] told me that they had closed and could not tell me the reason. They could not tell me when they would reopen, either, which was quite disappointing for
“It is definitely a blow to the Rice campus community,” Ong said. “I usually go study at Chaus after dinner, but now I have to go somewhere else which is a pain. It is also tough because other places like Local Foods and Dandelion Cafe have more expensive coffee.”
Lindsay said that they are hoping to reopen by Thursday.
“Facilities were able to stop the leak on Sunday and then had their electricians, [and] plumbers out on Monday to assess the space,” Lindsay wrote. “We’ve been working with OIT to repair the networking so that the credit card readers will work ... We are tentatively hoping to reopen on Thursday.”
FROM FRONT PAGE KIM
Rice Coffeehouse is closed indefinitely due to water leaks in the building that occurred over Thanksgiving break. Chaus
FROM FRONT PAGE COALITION
BELINDA ZHU ASST. NEWS EDITOR
JAMES CANCELARICH / THRESHER Chaus closed indefinitely after a leak was found above the bar area on Sunday.
AMELIA DAVIS / THRESHER Brown College senior Jae Kim was recently named a Rhodes scholar to pursue master’s degrees at the University of Oxford.
Rice launches partnerships with Indian universities
NANDINI DASARI FOR THE THRESHER
Thirty members of Rice leadership and faculty convened in Bengaluru, India Nov. 18 to launch Rice Global India, an initiative to bolster Rice’s network of academic collaboration abroad. According to Caroline Levander, Rice’s vice president for global affairs, the trip was the largest international delegation in the history of the university.
Rice’s presence in India is not new, according to President Reggie DesRoches. DesRoches said that Rice Global India formalizes a sentiment for cooperation with
India that has been in the works for decades.
“This country of nearly 1.5 billion people represents a dynamic and rapidly growing landscape of entrepreneurial and strategic opportunities,” DesRoches wrote in an email to the Thresher. “With its burgeoning economy, diverse talent pool and vibrant innovation ecosystem, India will play a pivotal role in our global strategy.”
Aside from hiring staff in India and organizing legal matters, Levander said that one of the most important considerations in preparing for Rice Global India was finding a location to call home. After a multi-city tour of India last November, Rice administration
agreed to establish their center of operations in Bengaluru due to shared prominence and research priorities.
“My work is to identify institutions that are like Rice: high-caliber, highly research [oriented], rigorous and selective,” Levander said. “And amongst those, [I] see where we have possibility for faculty collaboration. Because if you get faculty working together, the rest tends to follow.”
College freshman Vinati
said that she is interested in the personal and professional opportunities at Rice Global India.
We will be focusing on growing awareness of Rice as an academic brand in India. We want to be known in India, and right now, we’re largely not.
Rice has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and the Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru, two of the country’s most prestigious educational institutions. According to DesRoches, Rice hopes to offer unique opportunities for students through these partnerships.
Caroline Levander VICE PRESIDENT FOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS
“Through these joint education programs, internships and collaborative research projects, students from both countries will gain valuable international exposure, furthering their academic and professional development,” DesRoches wrote.
Levander also said that Rice aims to prioritize India as a pool of academic talent, especially at the graduate level. As a part of the program, the university plans to offer merit-based Rice Excellence scholarships to Indian students.
“We will be focusing on growing awareness of Rice as an academic brand in India. We want to be known in India, and right now, we’re largely not,” Levander said.
“Apart from the fact that I have family there, I think that India is quickly becoming the center of research and innovation, especially in the biotechnology field, which is what I’m interested in pursuing,” Pillutla said. “I’ve always been in the American schooling system, and I’m interested in exploring the school systems of other countries as well.”
Rice has already started to take steps in further enhancing its presence in India, DesRoches wrote. In addition to its partnerships with IIT Kanpur and IISc Bengaluru, the university recently entered similar agreements for academic collaboration with IIT-Madras and the Indiabased Amity Education Group, a worldwide organization of 25 schools and 11 universities with over 175,000 students.
India’s rapid advancement in the technology and education sectors make the country a significant part of Rice’s ultimate vision for worldwide interconnection, according to DesRoches.
“Together, we are creating a global network that empowers students, researchers and industry leaders alike, fostering solutions that resonate on a worldwide scale,” DesRoches wrote.
Students partner with Houston ministry for fall festival
helped with a lot of the logistics, because, of course, we have to make sure that, we’re protecting kids while we’re here.”
Psychology students at Rice held a fall festival for refugees at Rice’s Welcome Center and Founder’s
Court Nov. 23. The event was held in collaboration with the Center for Civic Leadership and Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, a non-profit organization helping refugee families with their new lives.
Students assisted in logistics and planning for this event, such as providing transportation for the families to get to Rice.
Creating a welcoming and warming environment is kind of why I came to Rice in the first place. Being able to create that for a whole other community … it just blew me away. Rohit Jha MULTICULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT
Over 70 families attended, and the event provided food and activities for children such as face painting, henna, an egg race and an archery station.
The students involved held this event as part of their multicultural psychology class’ civic learning project, taught by Chase Lesane-Brown, a lecturer in the psychological sciences department.
According to Lesane-Brown, the class provides hands-on engagement with demographics they are learning about, and she provided students with a variety of civic engagement opportunities, one of which was with the IMGH.
“I think it’s really important for the students, if they are going to read about different groups, that they actually have an opportunity to work with and experience those groups because a lot of times what you read in textbooks isn’t the same as what you actually experience when you’re working with people,” Lesane-Brown said.
The CCL funded the food and transportation provided for the event.
“Without the CCL, we could not have done this,” Lesane-Brown said. “They helped provide the funding for us. They
company going into the holiday season.
Aman Chaudhary, who focused on the logistical planning for the event, said that the event was held the weekend before Thanksgiving to provide attendees with entertainment
families here are refugee families, and so because oftentimes they’re far from their families, we thought it might be nice to throw this fall festival, just so that they get a sense of community and they get to celebrate,” Chaudhary, a Wiess College junior, said.
Chaudhary also assisted in taking family portraits at the event. Rohit Jha, another student working on the IMGH event, said that many refugees not having family photos was something that struck him deeply.
“I think that really stood out to me because my home was covered in photos, they were one of the main things that created my home,” Jha, a Martel College senior, said. “It’s kind of just a small thing, but [it] informed
me about the realities of the situation that they’re facing.” Jha helped give campus tours to refugee families.
“I thought it was important to, one, just give them a tour of the Rice campus, because I think it’s really pretty,” Jha said. “But two, it was really cool to tell them, ‘This is something that you could achieve if you wanted to, if this is something you want to do.’And a lot of people were like, ‘Wow, I really hope my kid gets in here.’”
For Chaudhary, he said the positive energy of the community made the event a success.
“Creating a welcoming and warming environment is kind of why I came to Rice in the first place,” Chaudhary said. “Being able to create that for a whole other community … it just blew me away.”
Lovett
Pillutla
COURTESY AMAN CHAUDHARY Duc-Ahn Nguyen, a Wiess College senior, helps prepare children for the festival’s sack race.
HONGTAO HU THRESHER STAFF
WILLIAM LIU / THRESHER
‘Not an easy job’: Student hosts police officer panel
this event just to get that behind-the-scenes look and show people that they’re human, just like the rest of us.”
A panel discussion titled ‘Behind the Badge’ was hosted by Kelsea Whiting, a political science student, Nov. 21. The event, according to the Rice University Police Department’s Facebook post, aimed to “humanize law enforcement by providing an honest, inside look into the challenges, experiences and realities faced by officers in their daily lives.”
Whiting, the panel’s moderator, said she was inspired to host the panel by her father’s work as a sheriff in her hometown of Colusa, Calif.
“Coming from a small town where our officers are our heroes, I started looking at why that was, and it’s because we see our officers everywhere all the time,” Whiting, a Brown College senior, said in an interview with the
Whiting organized the event as part of an independent study supervised by sociology lecturer Craig Considine.
One of the panelists, Nolan Regan, is a photographer and content creator who takes pictures of police officers on duty. Regan said he wanted to portray cops in a more positive light.
“Anytime you see law enforcement anywhere, it’s always like, ‘Oh, cop gets killed, cop shoots somebody,’” Regan said during the panel. “Then you see one [photo] that is actually good news … people actually start to bond with the officer.”
Other panelists discussed the stigma surrounding mental health in law enforcement. Stephen Tate, a clinical psychologist at the Houston Police Department, spoke on the toll that trauma can
SA approves special ballot, gender resolution
VIOLA
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Senate passed the special election ballot about divestment and investment transparency referenda Dec. 2., during its last meeting of the semester. Senate also passed a resolution, formally introduced on Nov. 25, recommending the inclusion of gender diversity statements in professors’ syllabi and a bill to expand student discounts around Houston.
Student elections director Natalie Wang said during the meeting that the ballot would have one question for each referendum. Originally, students could choose to support, oppose or abstain from voting. However, several members of the Senate and students present expressed concern on how abstaining votes would be counted for the required 20% student body vote.
changing that,” Wang, a Will Rice College sophomore, said in an interview with the Thresher. “We got rid of the abstain option, and now, instead of making everything required, [not all questions are] required.”
Senate also passed a resolution to require faculty to include a gender diversity statement in their syllabi. According to the text of the resolution, its creation was motivated by the fact that “the State of Texas has enjoined an interpretation of Title IX that denies protections for transgender and LGBTQ+ people, reinforcing fear within the queer community at Rice.”
Originally, we did have all of the questions as requirements that you have to answer before you submit, but we’re changing that. We got rid of the abstain option, and now, instead of making everything required, [not all questions are] required.
Natalie Wang STUDENT ELECTIONS DIRECTOR
“How can we possibly approve this ballot without knowing what an abstain is [counted as]?” Simon Yellen, a Duncan College senior, asked at the meeting. “Until this is decided upon … it’s almost ridiculous to approve this ballot because we don’t know what an abstain vote is.”
The option to abstain was then struck from the ballot; however, students will not be required to answer every question to submit the form.
“Originally, we did have all of the questions as requirements that you have to answer before you submit, but we’re
take on officers.
“A lot of people think that there are more officers that die in the line of duty, but actually, for every person that dies in the line of duty, there are two officers that kill themselves on their own,” Tate said during the panel. “The mental health need is great and [department clinical psychologists are] there to provide a lot of help with that process.”
The panel also touched on those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. Merced Corona, a retired law enforcement officer, spoke about losing his daughter Natalie Corona while she was on shift as a police officer in Davis, Calif.
“As a dad, you’re kind of in shock,” Corona said during the panel. “It’s kind of a double-edged sword when you’re asked to go to these functions and events where they’re going to honor [Natalie] because it opens up the old wounds. But in the same token, it’s quite an honor to be able to share her story.”
that need to be reformed and changed, so that we can have a more equitable justice system,” Rahman said in an interview with the Thresher. “Police officers are the people who are on the front lines. They know a lot more people who have died from gun violence. I think that there needs to be more of an active conversation in that regard.”
David Alford, assistant chief of the Baytown Police Department, attended the panel and said in an interview with the Thresher that social media increases analysis of law enforcement’s relationship with the public.
Coming from a small town where our officers are our heroes, I started looking at why that was, and it’s because we see our officers everywhere all the time. I wanted to host this event just to get that behind-the-scenes look and show people that they’re human, just like the rest of us.
Kelsea Whiting PANEL ORGANIZER AND MODERATOR
McMurtry College senior Jasir Rahman participated in the question and answer section to ask about the role of gun control and increased concealed weapons on school campuses in law enforcement.
“I think that we’ve been able to uncover a lot of malfeasance, bad apples and practices within either the criminal justice system at large or within certain police departments
“Today’s generation is more analytical, more open-minded, to listen more and get more information before they just pronounce judgment,” Alford said. “They also have, rightfully so, higher expectations, and those expectations actually mirror ours. When I say ours, [I mean the] police departments and that helps weed out [officers] who don’t need to be here.”
Corona said that he believes law enforcement is an honorable career, and public support goes a long way.
“Law enforcement is not an easy job,” Merced said in an interview with the Thresher. “Anytime you thank an officer on the street, it goes a long way. That officer will think about that for a while.”
“The resolution really is for the students, because we want them to feel as comfortable as possible addressing professors, if professors are not addressing them by the correct names or pronouns,”
Katherine Painter, vice chair of the SA DEI commission, said in an interview with the Thresher.
According to Painter, the resolution will come to a vote in the faculty senate next semester.
“I’m so grateful that we passed with the unanimous vote. That gave me restored faith in our students, but I know that at the faculty level, there are a lot more structural changes that would need to happen for this to pass,” Painter, a Brown College sophomore, said. “We’re going to
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COURTESY SONIA BAIG
Kelsea Whiting organized the panel as part of an independent study with sociology lectrurer Craig Considine. From left: Considine, clinical psychologist Stephen Tate, Whiting, photographer Nolan Regan, former police officer Merced Corona.
VIOLA HSIA ASST. NEWS EDITOR
EDITORIAL STAFF
Prioritize functionality, student needs in tech upgrades
Between ESTHER, Degree Works and Navigate, students have a plethora of technological platforms for everything from viewing financial aid to keeping track of graduation requirements. Despite being necessary for students, these platforms often are visually clunky, redundant or just don’t work.
The new ESTHER redesign is more modernized than the original. However, what it made up in aesthetics it lost in functionality. There is no search bar, which is necessary for information buried deep within the interface such as when final exams are scheduled and class waitlist positions. Most of the links on the home page redirect users to the old ESTHER interface instead, except for the few that don’t, and make accessing that old ESTHER a pain. ‘Stale request’ errors complicate matters even more when students are forced to switch browsers to log in.
We’re not a fan of Degree Works either. While Rice adjusts major requirements each year, Degree Works can take years to keep up, displaying faulty information. This isn’t just inconvenient — with a barrage of degree requirements, students inaccurately believing they’ve completed requirements can cause unneeded stress. For a system designed to predict graduation progress, it barely fulfills its role.
Navigate360 isn’t faring much better. Its purpose of setting up appointments mainly with language consultants, study abroad advisors and divisional advisors is completely redundant when faced with the high-tech solution of email or Calendly. The “study buddies” it attempts to facilitate fall flat when students meet and form study groups on their own.
This is especially relevant for incoming freshmen, who are made to use Navigate during O-Week despite technical difficulties.
During O-Week 2024, students struggled to book appointments with their divisional advisors because the search function was not functional and the profiles for some DAs did not display the right locations or times, forcing advisors and affiliates to pick up the slack and organize the appointments. Most of these students will never use the app again during their time at Rice — for good reason.
be targeted in the right way. Rather than creating interfaces and systems that look good but are prone to error, Rice could instead take a leaf out of other universities’ books and focus on technology that students will actually use and benefit from.
Lacking features like a search bar doesn’t help students navigate the interfaces they need to register for classes or find their financial aid packages, but giving them a version of their student IDs on smartphones or Apple Watches, as Duke and Vanderbilt do respectively, just might save them time getting around campus.
While the university has good intentions in redesigning ESTHER, it could benefit from instead listening to students, user tests and focus groups before launch and coming up with solutions that will ease their burdens going forward.
Upgrading Rice’s software and hardware is a noble goal, but it needs to
Critical online and offline tools that directly impact the quality of student life need to prioritize functionality and efficiency in order to improve student life. While Rice has good intentions in redesigning ESTHER, it could benefit from instead listening to students, user tests and focus groups before launch and coming up with solutions that will ease their burdens going forward.
Undergrads should vote ‘yes’ on political referenda
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.
On Wednesday Dec. 4, undergraduates will receive an email from the Student Association containing a ballot with four political questions. These questions must be met with studentbody support.
These referenda assert that Rice must disclose its investments, divest from institutions that profit from war and genocide, publish a public statement condemning war and genocide in Gaza and institutionalize an anti-colonial commitment via support for students and educators affected by colonialism around the world.
Regarding Rice’s investments, though I demand a seat at the table, it is important to recognize that we don’t even know what the table looks like.
endowment was worth $7.4 billion after spending. In the fall of 2024, only 4,776 undergraduate students were enrolled. Using the 2024 yearly cost of attendance for new students, including tuition, fees and on-campus living expenses, of $83,189 and the 2023 appraisal of the endowment, Rice could provide over 18 years of relatively free education, amounting to 85,372 undergraduate students having not paid the institution a dime. Albeit a rather crude calculation, this shows the immense amount of capital Rice holds and the potential for it to act ethically with that capital.
Cole Holladay MARTEL COLLEGE SENIOR
Students have a unique opportunity to hold the administration accountable and advocate for transparency. These referenda catalyzed the formation of the Rice Coalition for Liberation, with 20 undergraduate organizations advocating in favor, including incredibly important cultural organizations like SAS, HACER, MSA, MENA, PRIDE and FSA.
Students must understand the power Rice holds within its finances.
In the 2023 fiscal year, Rice reported its
Regarding Rice’s investments, though I demand a seat at the table, it is important to recognize that we don’t even know what the table looks like. Rice does not disclose the nature of its investments, so we don’t know precisely where Rice’s money goes or what it supports. For this reason, Rice must disclose its investment practices to ensure that we can advocate for ethical and moral investments.
It is essential to understand that there is precedent for divestment. By 1988, 155 universities and colleges had at least partially divested from the apartheid government of South Africa. As of October 2023, over 250 U.S. educational institutions have divested from fossil fuels. Over the past couple of years, a handful of American universities have divested from Russia in response to the
escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Rice has not participated in any of these movements, with the Board of Trustees deciding not to divest from South African apartheid in September 1985.
Divestment was a critical part of dismantling South African apartheid, making it economically unfeasible. That is precisely what we have the opportunity to do now — make the killing of tens of thousands of innocent civilians across the world less feasible.
Many students might worry about how divestment could impact Rice’s finances. In the case of fossil fuels, many institutions have taken the money returned to the university from divesting and reinvested it in clean energy. Universities that divest from fossil fuels tend to have higher endowment values post-divestment than universities that rejected divestment after 2021. Advocating for divestment not only provides opportunity for funds to be redirected to more ethical stocks, bonds and other securities, but also the potential to grow the endowment.
It is time for the Rice community — administrators and students alike — to recognize our collective responsibility and take decisive action. These referenda represent a crucial first step toward a more ethical and just future. I urge readers to vote in favor of all four, and help pave the way for meaningful change.
Cole Holladay MARTEL COLLEGE SENIOR
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Environmental student organizations talk politics, sustainability
NOA BERZ
SENIOR WRITER
Following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Sunrise Rice co-founder Dyllan Lozano-Lomeli said she worries even more about the future of the Earth’s climate. Originally from Brownsville, Texas, LozanoLomeli said her passion for the environment was sparked in 2021 when she saw how the ‘Texas Freeze’ disproportionately impacted poor neighborhoods in her hometown. Now, living in Houston, she said she feels empowered to make a difference, both local and national.
“There’s definitely a lot of opportunities for us to have the capacity to make a lot of change here in Houston, but there’s also a lot of opposition,” Lozano-Lomeli, a Jones College sophomore, said, “We need to preserve what we can now and try to safeguard the progress that we have made in the past four years.”
One of 13 active sustainabilityrelated student organizations on campus, Sunrise Rice was formed this semester as a chapter of the national Sunrise Movement, whose goals include popularizing the Green New Deal and organizing political activism against climate change and social inequality. Chapter cofounder Anna Stravato said a shift in focus will be increasingly vital to making a change
following January’s inauguration.
“We’re going to focus more on a local level, trying to get local representatives to support a Green New Deal or announce a climate emergency,” Stravato, a Jones College sophomore, said.
According to a recent issue of the Thresher, Sunrise Rice was formed as the only expressly political sustainability-related group on campus, but Rice Climate Alliance president Bryan Mendoza said he also considers political activism and environmentalism to go hand in hand.
Growing up in Houston suburb Galena Park, Mendoza said he distinctly remembers evacuating his home due to flooding during Hurricane Harvey. He said he’s been passionate about fighting climate change and social injustices ever since. This semester, he’s worked to revamp RCA after several years of dormancy, making environmental activism more accessible to Rice students and often partnering with outside organizations for events and support.
I think [RCA] inherently is [a political organization] because we do advocate politically, and it’s hard not to take a side when one side is funding all these oil corporations.
Bryan Mendoza
RICE CLIMATE ALLIANCE PRESIDENT
“What’s important, I think, is advocating for other people in the Houston area,” Mendoza, a Lovett College junior, said. “Partnering with [Students for Justice in Palestine] on talking about Chevron and its impacts on ecology, ecological collapse and genocide [shows me that] everything’s connected with the environment.”
“I think [RCA] inherently is [a political
Buzzwords & belonging: DFs discuss O-Week
VERONICA YANG FOR THE THRESHER
Diversity, equity and inclusion are buzzwords that often get thrown around, but at Rice, students and administration work to bring them to life. It shows: Rice was recently rated fifteenth for most diverse colleges in America by Niche.
As preparations for the 2025 Orientation Week begin, applications for O-Week coordinators, advisors and other leadership roles have started to open. Among these roles are the new cohort of Diversity Facilitators.
Catherine Clack, the associate vice provost for DEI and director of the Multicultural Center describes a DF’s mission as preparing students
academically, socially and culturally, facilitating an easy transition to the diverse campus community.
“The DFs are there to ensure everyone is able to begin developing a sense of belonging, making sure the diversity of our students is respected and that they are included in an equitable experience at Rice,” Clack said.
DFs go through hours of training to help promote values such as inclusion and respect, Clack said.
Neha Kohli, a diversity facilitator coordinator, oversees the role. She said she believes interest in becoming a DF has significantly increased, as over 30 people attended the DF information session this year compared to four last year.
Ameenat Adisa, a Sid Richardson College diversity facilitator, said that DFs aim to provide a voice to all students.
“We are just trying to make sure that everyone feels like they have a voice here, and to be that voice for those that may be shy,” Adisa, a Duncan College sophomore, said. Despite the efforts DFs put into the O-Week planning process, Ava Brazell, a Jones College diversity facilitator, said she feels their work is often undervalued or even disregarded.
Editor’s Note: This article has been cut off for print. To read more, visit ricethresher.org.
organization] because we do advocate politically, and it’s hard not to take a side when one side is funding all these oil corporations,” Mendoza continued.
While RCA saw issues with both presidential candidates in the 2024 election, Mendoza said Donald Trump’s win has inspired a newfound urgency in advocating for change.
“The presidential election has driven that push towards the need for action, especially with Trump’s [Department of Education] picks and [Environmental Protection Agency] picks,” Mendoza said. “We didn’t endorse anyone … both of [the candidates] support genocide.”
Recently, RCA expressed their support for the four referenda concerning Rice’s response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which passed in a senate vote Oct. 28.
Also supporting the referenda was Divya Saikumar, president of the Rice Sustainability Coalition, a student organization that facilitates collaboration between groups and individuals passionate about climate change.
Saikumar said she agrees that sustainability-related issues often overlap with social injustices. She also said that sustainability and environmentalism fall outside political party lines — or, at least, that they should. Ultimately, it’s clear that care for the environment varies across the political spectrum, Saikumar said.
“Within [RSC], we have representatives from SJP, from Rice Young Dems [and] from Rice Women’s Resource Center, and we’re hoping to expand beyond that as well,” Saikumar, a Lovett College
sophomore, said. “Any time that there’s an inequity, you can tie environmental injustice to a part of that as well.”
“I can’t speak for my organization to say that they have a direct political affiliation, but we will work with the people who care about these issues,” Saikumar continued. “If you take parties aside, everyone should care about the planet that they’re living in … it doesn’t make sense to me that it isn’t bipartisan.”
The political attitude of RSC and its affiliates does not represent the whole of Rice’s environmentalist activity. Led by Chief Investment Officer Duc-Anh Nguyen, the Rice New Energy Fund invests money from Rice’s undergraduate investment fund in energy companies working to transition away from fossil fuels.
Editor’s Note: This article has been cut off for print. To read more, visit ricethresher.org.
Rice and grind: the hustle of securing a job offer
AISHA KHEMANI THRESHER STAFF
Resumes, rejections and pressure can feel like a constant throughout one’s time in university, from sophomores hunting for internships to seniors aiming to secure a fulltime offer.
Emily Pena, a mechanical engineering major, said she knows this struggle. She recently received a job offer with RTX, a company specializing in aerospace, defense and engine development.
“The whole job market right now is a little scary and nerve-wracking,” Pena, a Hanszen College senior, said. “There’s a lot of companies going through rebranding, and they’re unsure of their scope. If it’s government work, there are a lot of policies up in the air, so a lot of work feels iffy.”
Pena said she believes that having a broad range of interests can make it easier to secure an offer compared to focusing on a more specialized industry.
“If you’re someone that’s really open with a lot of interests, like if you’re trying to go into oil, there’s a lot of opportunity there. But I think the more specialized you want to get, the harder it becomes,” Pena said. “I know some of my friends who are trying to go into aerospace, like working on propulsion systems, and it’s really hard to get into those really niche roles without having prior internship experience at these companies.”
Pena, a first-generation college student, said the recruiting process initially felt intimidating, as it was her first time communicating with corporate officials.
“I think of them as being on such a big pedestal, so when I’m trying to interview, it’s
like, ‘Oh, am I really capable of this?’,” Pena said. “But overcoming that and knowing [that] I’m actually very educated helps. I know they want to see that I can talk about highly technical concepts at a variety of levels, show my problem-solving skills and highlight the right things on my resume for the job description.”
Pena also said that she believes minorities face unique challenges in securing opportunities.
“The Society of Women Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers are great resources,” Pena said. “I also know that the [Center for] Career Development helps place alumni, trying to connect students with those who have similar backgrounds and demographics.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been cut off for print. To read more, visit ricethresher.org.
COURTESY DIVYA SAIKUMAR
HAI-VAN HOANG / THRESHER
BRYAN MENDOZA / THRESHER
Triply Puzzled
Editor’s note: Each corner of the crossword contains a Wordle puzzle made up by three 5-letter words. There is only one solution to each Wordle puzzle. The four answers from the Wordles, when used in combination with the 12 circled words, create a Connections game. Sort those 16 words into
This clue has one...one...one...
Ones, in card games
Coax
Food rations given to soldiers
Striped pollinator
Performed better than
Tote, for example
A die has 12 of this Doe or buck
Unwanted emails
A die has 6 of this
Environmental moods
Offensive positions in American football, shortly
Classic arcade boogying machine (abbr.)
Citrus-y drink suffix
Flowering accessory
Served its purpose
Lest
Close a door
Ticker symbol for Apple
Pattern
Not fitting into any major category (abbr.)
Division of a large organization, briefly
Vacation views
Dessert topper
Spokesman for a gameshow
Double reed instruments pitched just below 38 across
Circumference
Edible china?
Large parking area
Kitchen task list
dances
It contains many maps
Allege
Supportive undergarment
“¡____ mio!”
Fender bender, for one
Text support
Archaic, poetic vernacular for “forever”
Optical organ that detects light
He’s known for his fables?
Vehicle ornamentation
Kid
____ mater
Business students’ pursuits
Tree trunk, or pigment
Spanish lover
Divine aura
“Pronto!”
Salamander relative
It has its moments?
Purchase
Seen at the
Discreet federal investigating association
Miniature
Gift ideas to save you this season
SARAH MOTTELER THRESHER STAFF
If you’ve got a white elephant coming up that you’re scratching your head over or a Secret Santa that you can’t seem to crack, consider one of the six options below to perish your present woes.
For exam prep and organizing — multicolored highlighters or pens
A good set of colorful pens or highlighters can prove invaluable for organizing notes and annotating readings. Paper Source in Rice Village offers a wide variety of
MARTIN XIE / THRESHER
stationery, while Amazon provides deals that can be delivered to your dorm or doorstep. If you’re purchasing these for a specific person, make sure they use paper rather than an iPad for their classwork, so your gift will be appreciated.
To unwind after submitting a project — tea While coffee and energy drinks are useful for getting your energy levels up to push through your final projects, tea can help you reduce your heart rate and calm down. To elevate your gift beyond something available in the servery, choose from recognized brands like Harney and
Sons or pair it with a cute mug and some honey. If you’re purchasing loose-leaf tea, make sure to include an infuser with it — it’ll be an awkward situation if your giftee has tea but no way to steep it.
For keeping track of tasks and deadlines — desktop whiteboard
If you’re having trouble keeping track of all of the assignments you have to submit before going home for winter break, a desktop whiteboard can be helpful. It’s easy to add and remove items as tasks are created and completed, and it’ll stay within your line of sight so you can remember what you have to get done. Some models stand up on the desk like a picture frame, while other styles are designed to lay on the tabletop. If you’ve got a few dollars left in your budget after getting the board itself — they range from around $15 to $20 — consider picking up a dry-erase marker set as well.
To take your mind off of class — a creative craft kit
Engaging with hand-crafting hobbies can help to give your brain a break. Craft kits come in all kinds and price points, ranging from simple paint-by-numbers sets to more involved fiber crafts. If your gift exchange has a higher price limit, Woobles offers crochet kits with detailed instructions starting at $30, with each kit producing an adorable little plush upon completion.
Editor’s note: This article has been cut for print. Read the full article at ricethresher.org
Annual gingerbread house competition sparks creativity
SHREYA CHALLA SENIOR WRITER
Rice Program Council held their annual gingerbread house building competition Nov. 20. This year, the theme was ‘Lights, Camera, Gingerbread!’ with teams recreating scenes from iconic films, from Rapunzel’s tower to the Pirates of the Caribbean ship.
According to Carmine Steiner, co-chair of the Night Owls Antics committee organizing the event, the competition has been in the works since October.
“We start by going over what our vision is, so we deal with our theme first, and then after that we build everything around it,” Steiner, a McMurtry College sophomore, said. “Everything is black and red, and there are gold stars … We decided on this [theme] because we thought [the contestants] would have the most fun.”
Madeline Ansley, who competed in the competition as part of the team ‘The Hispanics,’ said that she feels the competition is well-organized every year.
“I’ve seen [the competition] every year, and I’ve always wanted to do it … I think it’s a really great way to start off holiday festivities,” Ansley, a Hanszen College junior, said. “I really like these types of events at Rice, they’re purely fun.”
Ansley’s team built a grandfather clock from “A Christmas Carol” and attributed their final product and teamwork to the diversity of majors and interests in their group, which included engineers, designers and an art history major.
Andy Corliss was a member of the ‘Red Building Baddies’ team, which built gingerbread robots WALL-E and EVE from the movie WALL-E, complete with the cubes of trash that WALL-E collects in the movie. Corliss said he competed in the competition last year, as well.
“In the past, I’ve definitely been more stressed about [the competition], but this year I was just like, ‘It’s fine.’ I think it’s better not to be too competitive because there’s always going to be some crazy people who pull off something amazing,” Corliss, a Hanszen College junior, said. “The fun part is just to go around and look at everyone else’s [gingerbread houses] afterward.”
Caitlyn Ladd was part of a team that recreated an action shot of the Titanic sinking. The team used inspiration
photos from Pinterest and ultimately decided on the Titanic from a host of other ideas. One of their teammates ate away at the gingerbread pieces to trim them as part of the building process.
“We thought [the idea] was creative because it wasn’t a house like most people were doing,” Ladd, a Wiess College sophomore, said. “There was a lot we could do with it.”
Kat Han, co-chair of the NOA committee, said that though she wasn’t at last year’s gingerbread house competition, it went well and the committee tried to keep a similar concept and flow throughout the event.
“We’re … building on that momentum. Our committee does [the competition] every year,” Han, a Hanszen College sophomore, said. “It just gets a little bit bigger every year … but I think the heart of it is the same.”
FROM FRONT PAGE HOBBY
Hobby recently came to Houston for the Houston Cinema Arts Festival to screen her recently produced film, “Dory Previn: On My Way to Where,” featured in this year’s SXSW Film Festival lineup.
“Dory Previn: On My Way to Where” follows songwriter Dory Previn and her career writing songs for Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland while dealing with mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia. Since its release, it has been praised for its insight into the musical mind of Previn during her career through archival footage. Hobby said that the process of making the film was complex, but ultimately fulfilling.
“I knew it was going to be super, super hard to get the money and make the film because it’s not well known,” Hobby said. “We didn’t
[There were] so few students, so I could be in the projection booth and there was informality about it that made it feel like you were in this club. I just looked around and saw stuff in the world and went out and filmed stuff.
Amy Hobby FILMMAKER AND PRODUCER
quite know how much archival there was, but [the directors] had shown me some of the footage … and it was amazing, amazing archival footage.”
In addition to her more technical work, Hobby also cofounded Distribution Advocates with Karen Chien in late 2019, an organization promoting independent filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds. She described their mission as similar to being “a medical advocate in a hospital system.”
“If someone’s sick in a complicated way, they assign you this advocate that helps you navigate doctors and nurses and systems and funding and all of that,” Hobby said. “The system was all so problematic, that the information, in a way, wasn’t sinking in … people just didn’t even know what to do with the information.”
Since the creation of Distribution Advocates, Hobby and Chan have created a podcast, “Distribution Advocates Presents,” that breaks down the truth behind many elements of the film industry from film festivals to distribution.
Even though she says that life as a filmmaker without major studio backing is difficult, Hobby remains optimistic about the state of independent film.
“I’m an eternal sort of cautiously optimistic person,” Hobby said. “There’s also a lot of new platforms coming up that will be good tools for finding audiences and reaching audiences.”
SHREYA CHALLA / THRESHER
One team portrayed the sinking Titanic ship in the annual Rice Program Council gingerbread house building competition Nov. 20.
The Texas Renaissance Festival enchants students
Nine gnomes, six knights, four wizards and a blacksmith wait patiently for a turkey leg. Your eyes seem to deceive you: Is the scene before you real, or is it a fairy tale-inspired mirage? This is only the beginning of the wild and zany world that is the Texas Renaissance Festival.
The Texas Renaissance Festival returned for its 50th iteration, which ran from Oct. 12 to Dec. 1. Only an hour and a half from campus, the festival features over 400 shops and 21 stages across its 70 acres. According to the festival’s website, it welcomes over 500,000 travelers annually, many of whom don costumes and camp on-site.
Despite its size and reputation, the Texas Renaissance Festival was not the first of its kind. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, renaissance fairs were born out of inclusion; they were a safe space for performers when free speech was fragile. As a landmark in the ’60s counterculture, free expression is at the heart of renaissance fairs: the Smithsonian catalogs how in the peak of the Red Scare of the 1960s, a teacher in Los Angeles began a theater program that evolved into the first renaissance fair.
Even not knowing the history of Renaissance fairs’ emphasis on free expression, it is evident at the Texas Renaissance Fair. People walk around in costumes of all types: video game characters, horror movie villains, humble village folk, knights in full armor and
It’s kind of a pick-your-own adventure thing. You can buy swords, katanas, shields, armor sets, turkey legs; go to museums, joust with your friends, watch medieval comedies and shoot bows and arrows.
Judson McGinnes JONES COLLEGE FRESHMAN
princesses of all kinds. The creativity of these costumes cannot be understated; where else can one find a gnome with a steampunk jetpack margarita dispenser? Beyond the costumes, attendees can engage in a wide variety of medieval activities.
“It’s kind of a pick-your-own adventure thing,” Judson McGinnes, a Jones College freshman who visited the fair for the first time this year, said.
”You can buy swords, katanas, shields, armor sets, turkey legs; go to museums, joust with your friends, watch medieval comedies and shoot bows and arrows. It seems to go on forever; whenever you think you have seen it all, you wind up in a new space, like a garden or an elephant enclosure.”
Beyond the array of activities to engage in, attendees can also indulge in some of the festival’s food options. One would be hard-pressed to find a food that isn’t on a stick, fried, a 600-calorie dessert or all three, in the case of fried cheesecake on a stick. That
being said, vendors get creative within these boundaries, mainly with different varieties of meat options.
“It’s very engrossing,” Maaz Zuberi, a Jones senior, said. “I was expecting it to be a lot smaller.”
Jacob Lowenstein, who also attended the festival with Zuberi, said he found the experience unique and enjoyable.
“I think it is something that everybody should do,” Lowenstein, a Jones senior, said. “It’s not like any sort of experience you’ll get anywhere else.”
Behind the Texas Renaissance Festival’s gates is a safe haven for the absurd and zany, where all are welcome. To me, an hour and a half drive and $30 is a fair price for an experience this magical.
Review: ‘Wicked’ defies expectations alongside gravity
SARA DAVIDSON THRESHER STAFF
The highly anticipated movie adaptation of the hit musical “Wicked” has been released in theaters, and it does not disappoint — unless you went in thinking the movie would include both acts of the play.
“Wicked” part one takes its audience from the moment where the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, is killed and launches into her tragic past,
intertwining her story with that of Glinda the Good. The first part of the movie leaves off at the musical’s intermission with the show-stopping “Defying Gravity,” leaving watchers (me) sobbing violently and already anticipating the second half of the show, coming to theatres in November 2025.
Where to even begin in reviewing the movie, except to say that all of it was fantastic. The elaborate costumes and set, the incredible show-stopping song and dance, the jaw-dropping hotness of Prince
Fiyero — I see now why Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who play Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, have acted so emotionally throughout their press tour. The movie has taken the musical and embraced it, including much-anticipated cameos from Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, Broadway’s original Glinda and Elphaba.
Erivo and Grande both wholeheartedly embrace their characters, with Erivo offering a glimpse of the inner mind of Elphaba in every number she sang, from “The Wizard and I” revealing her aspirations of the future and acceptance, to “Defying Gravity” where she stands up for her morals, despite the loss of the future she had dreamed of.
Grande also plays Glinda as if she was born for the role, from exuding her bubbly self in “Popular” to showing the complexity of her character in “No One Mourns the Wicked” as she comes to terms with the surfacelevel perceptions of her and Elphaba despite the reversal of roles behind the curtain.
By comparison, some of the other actors, such as Michelle Yeoh, who plays Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum, who plays The Wizard of Oz, fall flat in their singing skills — hardly a fair comparison to the likes of Erivo and
Grande, though. Despite their lack of years of vocal training, award-winning albums and more from Erivo and Grande’s hefty resumes, Yeoh and Goldblum still manage to hold their own in the show and embrace the sinister side of Oz.
Every musical number brought out perfect choreography, including the ballroom scene that crafted a welldone dance between Ethan Slater and Marissa Bode while still incorporating her wheelchair. “Dancing Through Life,” with the insanely attractive Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero, included spinning bookshelves that I instantly researched for Fondren to invest in. The show includes a lot of foreshadowing for both the second act and the classic movie with Dorothy and her ruby red slippers, from the floating poppies that put the class to sleep to the lion cub poking his head out of the wicker bicycle basket.
Overall, “Wicked” is a must-see this holiday season, and is truly a good movie to watch whether you have the background of the musical going into the show or not. Everyone can find space to hold for Wicked and grow a newfound appreciation for the classic “Wizard of Oz.” Expect to be left on a bit of a cliffhanger, but rest assured, the Wicked will make their return.
UNIVERSAL
GUILLIAN PAGUILA / THRESHER
MAX HESS FOR THE THRESHER
Dust settles on football’s 2024 season
Rice football concluded its 2024 season Nov. 30 with a 35-28 victory over the University of South Florida, treating home fans to one final win. The Owls finished the season at 4-8 overall (3-5 AAC), failing to win any of their six road games.
Rice finished 6-6 last year and 5-7 the year before, reaching a bowl game both years. Despite that pattern, Rice won fewer games this season than in previous seasons. The program limped to a 2-6 start and fired head coach Mike Bloomgren before the end of the season.
Amidst the losing season, though, Rice produced standout players and moments that the Thresher highlights in this article.
Most Valuable Player: Dean Connors
To nobody’s surprise, Connors was the best player at Rice this fall. He led all FBS running backs in targets and receptions while finishing third in receiving yards. In addition to being a talented pass-catcher, he ran the ball quite well, adding 780 yards on the ground. He finished his senior season with 1,265 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the Owls in both categories. Connors is a strong candidate to be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft or signed as an undrafted free agent.
Co-Offensive Players of the Year: E.J. Warner and Matt Sykes
Warner and Sykes both made major contributions this year. Warner battled through some mid-season blips to deliver
898 passing yards and six touchdowns over his final three games, with some credit being given to his newfound health and reinforced offensive line. Meanwhile, Sykes essentially filled the Luke McCaffrey role, leading the team with 65 catches, 782 receiving yards and five touchdowns while making numerous show-stopping catches. Previously, the graduate receiver hadn’t recorded more than six receptions or 86 yards in a single season.
Defensive Player of the Year: Gabe Taylor
Taylor has been a success story at Rice, blossoming into a core defender and leader on the team. He made plays all over the field this season, registering three sacks, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, seven passes defended and 56 tackles. Fellow senior Josh Pearcy was also considered given his proficiency on the defensive line, but Taylor’s 89.5 Pro Football Focus defense grade, at 32nd among over 5,000 Division I defenders, was impossible to ignore.
Special Teams Player of the Year: Quinton Jackson
Jackson was Rice’s primary kick returner and often got the green light to take the ball out of the end zone. He finished the 2024 campaign with 22 returns for 589 yards, with his highlight of the year being a 100yard kick return touchdown against the University of Connecticut. This was the Owls’ first kick return touchdown in 12 years and their longest return ever. Jackson was named AAC Special Teams Player of the Week Oct. 28.
Athletics revs up Porsche collaboration
DIEGO PALOS RODRIGUEZ ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Porsche, the luxury sports car brand, has made appearances in Rice football and women’s basketball social media posts, home football games and even on the court in Tudor Fieldhouse. These promotions are due to a recent partnership between Rice Athletics and Porsche River Oaks, located on Southwest Freeway and Greenbriar.
Kevin Dwan, Rice deputy athletic director, said the partnership began last year and has been successful so far.
“Porsche has been a great new partner of ours early on,” Dwan said. “I think we’re very aligned with their brand, what they’re looking to accomplish from a marketing standpoint and what we could offer.”
Dwan said Porsche River Oaks initially approached Rice about a partnership. While the agreement is relatively standard, the Porsche name and service have been a part of many promotional events and content for Rice.
“Obviously, it’s a luxury brand, an exciting brand, very visual,” Dwan said. “We’ve got cars out [at] pretty much every football game. Outside of our hospitality area, there’s at least one Porsche parked.”
Football players posed with Porsche cars to reveal their “City Connect” alternate uniforms this season, while women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds posed with a vehicle for Instagram. These posts are just the beginning of what promotional partnerships could accomplish, according to Dwan.
“As our creators are thinking about ways to stay relevant and ways to stand out and do something different, [the Porsche cars
were] just one idea that came up, and we were able to make it happen because we have the partnership,” Dwan said.
On top of promotion, this partnership also includes incentives for the Rice community at Porsche River Oaks. Leah Webb, the brand manager at Porsche River Oaks, said that these include merchandise giveaways, raffles at sporting events, happy hours at The Podium bar next to the dealership and even purchase deals on a case-by-case basis.
Dwan said these types of incentives are common in Athletics’ partnership agreements and benefit both fans and the athletic department by showing the impact they can have on driving business to the partners. He also said that partnerships of this caliber can help attract other businesses to Rice.
“Anytime you have a successful partnership that both we in the athletics department feel good about and our partners feel good about that, word can spread,” Dwan said.
Ultimately, Dwan said he hopes this partnership can continue to grow and expand to include even more support for Rice student-athletes.
“The Porsche deal is not a [Name, Image and Likeness] deal right now, [but] we definitely see some potential there in the future,” Dwan said. “It’s a great way to showcase how much engagement we got with these creative assets that our studentathletes are a part of. Let’s expand on that, so both growing the Porsche relationship, but also going out to new companies and potential partners who are interested in NIL or using student-athletes in their marketing strategies.”
Freshman of the Year: Joseph Mutombo
Mutombo is a redshirt freshman who appeared in just one game before suffering an injury in 2023. He bounced back during his first full season this year, registering 11 tackles (three for loss), two sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. His 73.5 PFF defense grade ranked sixth among all Rice players. His best game came Sept. 28 when he earned more snaps along an injury-riddled defensive line and ultimately finished with a 90.3 PFF defense grade, ranking 17th among more than 2,500 qualified defenders in Division I.
Transfer of the Year: Chad Lindberg
Lindberg, a transfer from the University of Georgia, made his presence felt on the offensive line, providing key protection for Warner and Connors in a year where good blocking proved hard to come by. Lindberg led all Owls with an 84.0 PFF pass-blocking grade, and he was also their most versatile player in the trenches, logging 245 snaps at left tackle and 377 snaps at left guard. Charlie Looes, a defensive line transfer from Dartmouth College, deserves an honorable mention for his five sacks, which tied for the team lead.
Game of the Year: 24-10 win over Navy (Nov. 2)
The rain-soaked Owls waited out more than five hours of weather delays to upset a 6-1 Navy program at home. Connors scored a pair of touchdowns and interim head coach Pete Alamar earned his first career NCAA victory as the clock approached
Sports
midnight at Rice Stadium. The win briefly kept Rice’s bowl game aspirations alive.
Play of the Year: Matt Sykes’s gamewinning touchdown (Oct. 12) Rice stayed neck and neck with the University of Texas at San Antonio at home, trailing by four points with less than 20 seconds to play. A costly penalty moved the Owls outside the red zone, but Warner brought Rice to the 18-yard line before throwing a strike to Sykes. The graduate receiver adjusted to catch the deflected pass while diving near the back of the end zone. The reception, which was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays segment, gave Rice a 29-27 victory.
EVIE VU THRESHER STAFF
Mini #7
ANDERSEN PICKARD ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
KAIRI MANO / THRESHER Senior running back Dean Connors runs with the ball during the Oct. 12 game against the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Abell named football head coach, one month after Bloomgren firing
Rice football has hired Scott Abell as the program’s 20th head coach, according to an announcement from director of athletics Tommy McClelland, who led a national search to fill the position.
Abell joins Rice after seven seasons at Davidson College, a Division I Football Championship Subdivision school in North Carolina. He became the winningest coach in Davidson’s history, going 47-28 overall and 3518 in the Pioneer Football League. He won two Pro Football League Coach of the Year awards, captured two PFL championship titles and led
the Wildcats to three FCS playoff appearances.
During Abell’s introductory press conference, McClelland said that he spoke with over 30 candidates possessing both NFL and NCAA coaching experience before narrowing down the pool to nearly one dozen. He met with Abell for roughly four hours on Nov. 24 and found that the 54-year-old possessed all the qualities he sought in Rice’s next head coach.
“During our time with Coach Abell, it became evident to me that he was not only the right coach, but he was the right person to lead our program,” McClelland said.
Prior to Abell’s arrival at Davidson in 2018,
the Wildcats had six consecutive seasons with two or fewer victories and went winless in conference play in four of the previous five years. He immediately brought a winning culture back to the program, going 6-5 in 2018 and delivering a winning record in each of his seven seasons as Davidson’s head coach.
“[Abell] has had an immediate impact on every program he has coached and is passionate about developing winners on and off the field,” McClelland said.
Abell’s Wildcats ranked first in rushing offense among all FCS teams during six of his seven years. This season, they rank second, averaging 58.2 carries, 315.5 rushing yards and 3.4 rushing touchdowns per game.
over the athletic department in 2023. Last March, he fired men’s basketball head coach Scott Pera and replaced him with Rob Lanier, whom Southern Methodist University had recently dismissed.
Abell will be tasked with getting the Owls back to their first winning season since 2013, along with leading a national player recruitment process and ensuring his roster maintains Rice’s high academic standards. He said that his staff will place a heavy emphasis on recruiting high school talent within the state.
[Abell] has had an immediate impact on every program he has coached and is passionate about developing winners on and off the field.
“In just seven years, Scott transformed the [Davidson] football program, doing so with the highest standards of excellence both on and off the field,” Davidson director of athletics Chris Clunie said in a statement.
Tommy McClelland DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
Abell will fill the vacancy left by Mike Bloomgren, who was fired Oct. 27 during his seventh season as the team’s head coach. Bloomgren 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.
After Bloomgren’s firing, the Owls went 2-2 under the leadership of interim head coach Pete Alamar. Rice finished 4-8 overall (3-5 in AAC), missing a bowl game for the first time since 2022.
Hiring Abell is Rice’s second major coaching shakeup since McClelland took
“As we begin to build for the future of Rice football, there will be no more important mark than the great state of Texas and its high school football programs,” Abell said. “Texas has the very best when it comes to high school football, its staffs and its development of scholar-athletes.”
Abell said that he spent extensive time recruiting Texas football players when he was the head coach at Washington and Lee University and Davidson, so he has familiarity with the state.
Abell flew home to spend time with his family for Thanksgiving, then returned to Houston to watch Rice defeat the University of South Florida Nov. 30. He assumed his post as head coach Dec. 3, already preparing for the 2025 season.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be named the next head football coach at Rice University,” Abell said. “I cannot imagine a more ideal time or fit for myself, my family and the future of Rice football. Today begins the journey, as we pursue championships.”
HONG LIN TSAI / THRESHER
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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 or comments, please email pookiebear@rice.edu.
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