The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Rice prepares for Election Day

BONNIE ZHAO MANAGING EDITOR

Early voting for the midterm elections ends on Nov. 4 in Harris County. On Election Day, Nov. 8, Sewall Hall’s Welcome Center will be Rice’s on-campus polling location, open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The closest early voting location is the John P. McGovern Texas Medical Center, which is a 15- to 20-minute walk from central campus, and it offers parking validation at the McGovern parking garage for voters. On Election Day itself, students can also vote at nearby off-campus locations, such as McGovern or the Emanu El synagogue just across Sunset Blvd. from Martel College. A full map of early and Election Day voting locations can be found at harrisvotes.com.

During the 2020 presidential election, Rice policies forbade any Election Day due dates and required all instructional materials to be available asynchronously, according to the Office of the Registrar. This year, no campuswide voting accommodations exist. Instead, President Reginald DesRoches sent out a message, signed by other campus leadership, encouraging Rice professors to provide their own voting accommodations for students.

“We encourage all instructors to consider ways to support this goal for both undergraduate and graduate students,” DesRoches wrote in the message. “Some things you can do include canceling a scheduled class meeting, rescheduling for another time that works for the class and creating asynchronous options on Election Day to allow eligible students to cast their ballots. Faculty are also encouraged not to make assignments due or have exams on Election Day.”

Amanda Louise Johnson, a Rice English professor, said that she has canceled all

her classes on Election Day so that her students can use that time to vote.

“I decided to do so after realizing that many Rice students are registered to vote in other Texas counties and therefore might need to travel to cast their ballots,” Johnson said. “Making accommodations for Election Day helps remind the students of their obligations to their communities, which they should carry with them as they progress in their personal and professional lives.”

According to Johnson, she will hold office hours on Nov. 8 for students who are not voting that day, so they can drop in and discuss their progress in her courses.

Carrie McNeil, a Rice chemistry professor, said that she won’t be canceling class, but she will support students on Election Day through other voting accommodations.

“Voting is incredibly important, and I give my students extra credit for either voting or supporting someone to vote,” McNeil said. “This is such an important election for our state, and I want to make sure my students get to exercise their right to vote. I’ve posted announcements with polling locations, sample ballots and the Harris County website to see if they’re registered.”

McNeil said that she cannot give her students the entire day off to vote, because it’s very difficult to work out make-up labs for so many students.

“I have, though, made sure we are doing a lab that should finish much earlier than usual so they can vote after class and before the polls close,” McNeil said. “I will also let my students know that if their only opportunity to vote is during my class, I will let them come Monday or Wednesday instead. My NSCI 120 class will likely be a mix of Zoom and in-person to allow the first-year students the chance to vote in their first election.”

Nightmare on South Main: Football blown out by last-place Charlotte on Homecoming

In the true spirit of Halloween, Rice Stadium resembled a haunted house with proverbial carnage all over the field following Saturday’s loss. Going into the game as 15 point favorites against the last-place team in Conference USA, who had fired their head coach six days prior, all indications pointed to the Owls celebrating Homecoming with a resounding win. But not only did the University of North Carolina at Charlotte spoil the Homecoming festivities, they did so with a 33 point victory, defeating the Owls 56-23. Head coach Mike Bloomgren was very disappointed with the loss after the game.

“I’m incredibly disappointed that this game went the way it did today,” Bloomgren said. “As much as last week was a team win for us, this is a team loss. They took us to the woodshed today. We earned this loss every bit as much as Charlotte earned this win.”

Going into the weekend, Rice was looking to extend their four game home win streak. But the Owls’ Homecoming curse had other plans. According to Bloomgren, what made their fifth straight Homecoming loss even worse was doing it in front of family and friends.

“This is [redshirt senior defensive end] Trey Schuman’s sixth year here and he’s never won a homecoming game,” Bloomgren said. “It sucks because I thought we had really good attendance today and I thought we owed our fans a better product. It stings a little more on Homecoming because we had fans in the stands that cared and we wanted to put on a good show for our friends, family and the people we love.”

On the opening drive, the Owls looked like the same team that scored 42 points in the last 35 minutes of their overtime win against Louisiana Tech University, with an 82 yard drive ending in a touchdown pass from junior quarterback TJ McMahon to sophomore wide receiver Luke McCaffrey. Later in the first quarter, McMahon found the back of the endzone with senior wide receiver Bradley Rozner. After taking a 1714 lead in the second quarter, the game went south and Charlotte rattled off 35 straight points in an offensive frenzy. The driver of the train was Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds, who put up five touchdown passes compared to just three incompletions. Bloomgren said that going into the game, Charlotte’s offense was a concern.

“We knew that they are a very very talented offense,” Bloomgren said. “They really haven’t put it together this year but they did today so I think their coaching staff did well pulling everybody together and their players made plays.”

Defensively, the Owls struggled, allowing 239 yards on the ground and 275 yards through the air. According to Schuman, one key that led to Charlotte’s offensive success was converting on third and long.

“That first quarter we went out and we played our brand of defense but later, we weren’t getting the stops and weren’t getting off the field,” Schuman said. “This game is a momentum game. [If] we don’t give some of those third downs up and we get off the field, the momentum shifts. Especially with a great quarterback like Reynolds, when you let that guy get rolling, he can put up points. We just didn’t do our job at the end of the day.”

This article has been cut off for print. Read the full article at ricethresher.org.

CADAN HANSON SENIOR WRITER

helps remind the students of their

to their communities, which they should carry with them as they progress in their personal and professional lives.

Amanda Louise Johnson

PROFESSOR

HAI-VAN HOANG / THRESHER

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER

Mental health statement required on future syllabi

HAJERA NAVEED NEWS EDITOR

The faculty senate passed a resolution mandating a mental health statement on all university syllabi at the Sept. 28 senate meeting. The resolution, which passed in the Student Association senate on Jan. 27, 2022, states that every syllabus must encourage students to reach out to Wellbeing and Counseling to discuss mental health concerns and should contain a list of related resources for students.

The resolution that passed in the faculty senate omitted part of the original SA resolution, which asked for the mandatory statement to establish the professor’s policies on academic adjustments for academicrelated mental health concerns, including extensions and attendance policies.

Alexandra Kieffer, speaker of the faculty senate, said that she felt this resolution was a reasonable request, especially in a postCOVID world where mental health issues are ever-present in the student population.

“We were taking what I think everyone agreed to be a good idea from the SA and making it into … a package we could actually put on the syllabus,” Kieffer said.

Kieffer said that there is a wide range of mental health issues, ranging from mild anxiety to a serious depressive episode, and faculty are not trained to differentiate between these situations and counsel students. The executive committee had to ensure their instructions complied with university standards and would avoid unintended consequences while implementing this resolution, she added.

“We want to make sure that students are reaching out to Wellbeing and Counseling center and encouraging students to seek out the resources that we have on campus, [but] … we don’t want faculty to inadvertently put themselves in a position where they might make a student’s mental health worse by not responding in a way that a student might

want or expect,” Kieffer said.

The SA’s original resolution requested that students be able to reach out about mental health accommodations without a Disability Resource Center requirement. Alison Qiu, a co-writer of the SA resolution, said she was disappointed that the faculty senate didn’t adopt that portion of the resolution.

“I’m happy that part of it is passed by the faculty senate and that there will be a requirement for the professors to include a statement on the syllabus,” Qiu, a Hanszen College sophomore, said. “But I’m not totally satisfied because the original last clause … was tabled.”

Professor Sandy Parsons, who has included a section on mental health on her class syllabi for many years, said that while she is pleased to see the resolution pass, she wishes there was more language of support required.

“As a professor, I see that students often apologize for asking for extensions due to mental health issues or do not share their needs with me soon enough for me to help them, and I think those are reflections of the stigma students feel,” Parsons said.

Parsons said she thinks this statement will help normalize asking for help from

NDIDI NWOSU / THRESHER

professional counselors and increase awareness of resources available at Rice. However, she said she thinks professors need to be more proactive in their roles to support students dealing with these issues.

“With the national increase in mental health issues, we need to be proactive as professors to ensure that our students know professional help is available,” Parsons said. “Professors outside of clinical psychology have little to no training in dealing with mental health issues. But we are often the first stop for students who are having problems.”

Director of Rice Counseling Center Timothy Baumgartner said that having a statement added to syllabi will remind students of resources available to them, and will provide faculty with information to refer students who they think could benefit from extra support.

Parsons said she believes students must prioritize their mental health.

“Sometimes students need to prioritize their mental health at the cost of their school work,” Parsons said. “Obviously, in the ideal situation, professors would prefer that students prioritize their classes. But, I hope that students know that it’s ok to choose ‘not school’ sometimes.”

Faculty to expand by 200 in coming years

MARIA MORKAS ASST. NEWS EDITOR COURTESY THRESHER ARCHIVES

will enhance our research environment and allow Rice faculty to remain at the cutting edge of some of society’s most pressing issues.”

DesRoches said that all of the academic departments will be involved in the hiring process, but the exact numbers vary depending on recent retirements, growth plans and special initiatives.

imagination characterizing the faculty, as well as broadening its racial, ethnic and gender diversity.”

Dittmar said the search for new faculty members is ongoing across all of the schools and colleges and will continue to happen over the next few years.

Car seen driving on north campus sidewalks

RIYA MISRA FEATURES EDITOR

Rice University will hire 200 new faculty members in the next several years, according to President Reginald DesRoches. He said he intends to grow faculty size to maintain Rice’s 6:1 student-faculty ratio, in light of a growing undergraduate student population.

“We will hire the best academics, and have the courage to settle for nothing less than excellence as we hire more than 200 faculty across the breadth of the university in the next five years,” DesRoches said in his presidential investiture speech.

Provost Amy Dittmar said Rice recently grew the first-year class, and as those larger classes progress through their undergraduate experience, the total population will continue to grow.

“The faculty hiring will align with this growth as well as growth in graduate programs,” Dittmar wrote in an email to the Thresher. “This also provides opportunities for Rice to hire faculty that are working in common areas, which

“We have had a tremendous amount of success recruiting high-caliber faculty to Rice,” DesRoches said in an email to the Thresher. “Our goal is to attract the very best talent to Rice – faculty who are committed to their scholarship and creative works, with an equal commitment to teaching.”

Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alexander Byrd said that decision-making on faculty hiring will be driven by excellence in research, creative work, teaching and mentorship.

“So growing the faculty increases the overall capacity of the university as a whole: more of what’s best about the university will be one result,” Byrd said. “This kind of growth can increase the diversity of thought, experience and

“As we search, we are looking for individuals that have a deep commitment to students and teaching and will both enhance our academic environment in research, scholarship and creative works, as well as add to the diversity of the faculty,” Dittmar said.

Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Fred Higgs said that each school should experience new talents in the faculty ranks.

“While the culture and community may naturally evolve, there are some unique things about Rice which have made it a perennial producer of students who graduate and become tomorrow’s leaders,” Higgs wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Rice will seek to preserve these distinct attributes, even as we expand the faculty who will be involved in teaching, research, scholarship and creative endeavors.”

DUNCAN

MARTEL JONES WEST SERVERY BROWN MCMURTRY

An unidentified driver was reported for reckless driving on campus and in the surrounding areas off-campus just before midnight on Friday, Oct. 28.

Chandler Bannis, a Wiess College sophomore, and Sophia Cha, a Brown College sophomore, said they both witnessed the car driving around the North Colleges.

“We were in one of the Martel [College] classrooms, probably for most of Friday night, and … we saw a white car pass in front of Martel,” Cha said. “We didn’t really make note of it because sometimes parents during family weekend will get confused … We saw the same white car pull up into Martel quad … So we were trying to help her get out.”

According to Bannis, the driver, who did not seem Rice-affiliated, was speeding and primarily driving on the sidewalks.

After driving into the Jones quad, the driver appeared to exit campus, but then quickly returned, heading towards West Servery, according to Bannis and Cha, who watched from Jones.

“We see headlights come back down the road toward us, [and] it’s the same car,” Cha said. “One of the people from our group stands smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk saying, ‘There [are] people here, you can’t come this way.’”

According to Bannis, the driver did not stop for the student standing directly in the car’s path, who got out of the way as the car approached West Servery. Although the car did not crash into West Servery, Cha said that she and some other people called the authorities.

“She was sitting in front of West Servery. That’s when people started to run up to the car to get license plate information and talk to her and ask her if she’s okay,” Cha said. “At this point, I had already called [Rice University Police Department]. Two other people had already called RUPD, and someone else called 911.”

Despite the driver’s recklessness, no students appeared to be injured, according to Bannis.

“There were multiple people she almost hit, but thankfully, no one looked hurt,” Bannis said. “It was very concerning that she was going the speed [that] she was in a university, knowing that, even if it was nighttime, there [were] people still out.”

Patrol Sergeant Maritza Lopez said that RUPD received a report of reckless driving but could not locate the driver or the vehicle.

“It was a report of a reckless driver,” Lopez said. “However, that driver or that vehicle was never found. We had several units check ... We searched for about half an hour.”

According to Lopez, the Houston Police Department had also gotten involved but was equally unsuccessful at locating the car.

Our goal is to attract the very best talent to Rice –faculty who are committed to their scholarship and creative works, with an equal commitment to teaching.

Reginald DesRoches PRESIDENT

310 students face burnout

HAJERA NAVEED NEWS EDITOR

Dozens of COMP 310 students took to Piazza to anonymously post about how the difficulty and deadline spacing of the class were impacting their mental and physical well-being last Friday. In the posts obtained by the Thresher students discussed feeling burnt out, not being able to spend time with loved ones and issues with self-esteem, as a result of the class.

Many students pointed to a recent ChatApp assignment as the cause of their heightened stress and unsustainable working conditions. Stephen Wong, who has taught this class for the past 12 years, said he didn’t realize students were struggling to this extent until reading the posts, which came after the project’s first deadline.

“I felt helpless, I don’t know how else to describe it,” Wong said. “Just to feel that helpless about what is going on and to say that yes, we could have done something, but I didn’t know. I wish they had come to me to talk about problems instead of taking immediate actions that they did. I don’t think students always realize what their actual overall effects are. It greatly complicates the situation when I think we could have worked out a lot of things within the class.”

Adam Tao, a Jones College junior, said that he thinks students were hesitant to express their concerns due to the culture in computer science classes at Rice.

“In most COMP classes, professors have a really strict late policy that they have in their syllabus,” Tao said. “I think because of that, there’s not many [computer science] college students that feel comfortable asking for an extension just because they are stressed out.”

Wong ultimately gave a five-day extension to an upcoming deadline, which he said he had never had to do in all his years teaching this class. He also said that this semester students had 25 percent more time on this assignment that previous years have had.

and not studying for exams.

Tao said the constant deadlines led to him having to put working on this project above all other classes and basic human necessities.

“It’s just continuously hit the first deadline, start working on the next deadline, hit the second deadline, start working on the next deadline and you literally don’t get a break,” Tao said. “I think there was a period of about 30 hours, where I literally spent 19 of those 30 hours working on the project.”

Many students emphasized that complaints about this class are not isolated to this semester. Phoebe Scaccia, a Hanszen College senior, said she knows these complaints arise every semester.

“Every single semester this class is held, this happens,” Scaccia said. “This is not new. It’s just this year, the comments are more morbid than last year’s, but [it is the] same outrage every single year.”

Timothy Louie, a Lovett College junior, said that he believes Wong is hesitant to give extensions to his students. He said that when he met with Christopher Jermaine, the chair of the Computer Science department, about this issue on Friday morning, Jermaine validated many of Louie’s concerns.

“It was a pretty enlightening conversation because he just confirmed things [and said] this is an ongoing issue, ‘We know, we sympathize with you, the course cannot continue this way forever,’” Louie said.

Christopher Jermaine declined a request for an interview with the Thresher.

Stephen Wong COMP 310 PROFESSOR

After the Piazza posts on Friday, some students also expressed their disappointment with Wong’s response. Espinoza said he thought the response was insensitive to students struggling with mental health as a result of the class and Louie said he felt Wong shifted responsibility onto the students.

“At the end, I thought to myself, ‘They are under stress, so clearly we need to handle this, because they are in a level of stress beyond what I want,’” Wong said. “Now, you want a certain amount of pain, but you don’t want that much pain. And at that point, I said ‘Well, maybe the lesson is done.’ They have already felt it, perhaps more than I wanted them to feel it.”

In the spring 2020 semester, Stephen Wong was temporarily removed as the professor for COMP 310 due to his non-compliance with a university-imposed mandate to delay deadlines. Wong confirmed this account and said that he did not agree with the request of extending deadlines.

“The initial reaction from the students and other people [who were not a part of the class] was more time, just give them more time,” Wong said. “[But] that is not necessarily the right answer. The answer is better expressed as increasing achievement levels which is not the same as adding more time. In the end, it was [that] I wasn’t adding more time.”

Renzo Espinoza, a Wiess College junior, said that recent deadlines for the class have not been sustainable. He said that even though he is only taking 12 credit hours, he has been unable to give his other classes proper attention, including skipping classes

“He shifted all the responsibility on us. He was like, ‘It’s entirely your fault that you weren’t able to do this as I expected,’” Louie said. “I’ve seen the efforts of me and my fellow students, we worked [very hard] to get this done. Yeah, it’s not good, but that’s not entirely our fault.”

Some students also pointed to the disorganization of the class resources as an added stressor for the class. Tao and Scaccia both said that the inability to find resources easily makes solving issues much more difficult.

“I feel like if the [resources] were more clear, it’d be a lot more helpful,” Scaccia said. “At the same time, he isn’t doing this because he hates us. He genuinely does care about the class, he tried really hard on the class.”

Head teaching assistant Bri Bumgardner said that this class was probably her most challenging computer science class in regards to time-management. She said that she believes Wong is a very dedicated, involved and passionate professor, but that improvements can be made at a curriculum level.

“In the future, I would be interested in seeing the class broken back into two classes, which I’ve heard from faculty is how it used to be taught,” Bumgardner, a Sid Richardson College senior, said. “The material covered in COMP 310 is very important for the major, and I believe that this would only add to the benefit of the course by addressing pacing concerns and possibly presenting the opportunity for inclusion of more material.”

GUILLIAN PAGUILA / THRESHER

Now, you want a certain amount of pain, but you don’t want that much pain.

Faculty must do more to accommodate mental health

Rice faculty must include a mental health statement in their syllabi going forward after the faculty senate adopted part of a Student Association recommendation Sept. 28. Specifically, professors must include a list of mental health resources on campus compiled by the Wellbeing and Counseling Center and encourage students to use them as necessary. We applaud the faculty senate’s actions as a step in the right direction, but it is truly the bare minimum that they could have done to address students’ mental health.

The original SA resolution included three recommendations, two of which were adopted by the faculty senate. The one that wasn’t adopted called for establishing “academic adjustments for academic-related mental health concerns, such as extensions and attendance.” Minutes from the faculty senate debate on the resolution describe concerns over how to standardize accommodations for mental health issues and professors’ inability to differentiate between “normal stress and something else.”

We wholeheartedly agree with these concerns, and we know that

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK

resolving them will require much more discussion among faculty, students and the Wellbeing and Counseling Center about how professors should approach mental health accommodations. But the existence of concerns cannot and should not dissuade faculty from beginning to offer accommodations now.

Requiring professors to speak about the existence of their mental health accommodations in some form, even just indicating a willingness to discuss them on an individual basis, will do wonders for student appreciation.

Professors are constantly experimenting with their syllabi: They’ll try teaching a new book or assigning a new project in the hopes that it will improve learning outcomes for students. Sometimes it works,

sometimes it doesn’t, but at least they have tried something. We do not see why introducing meaningful mental health accommodations is any different.

Faculty at Rice have the immense power to create an open and inclusive environment for discussing academicrelated mental health with students. Just being transparent on the first day of classes about the academic accommodations they offer — whatever they may be — can reduce the stigma around students asking for accommodations. We are sure that requiring professors to speak about the existence of their mental health accommodations in some form, even just indicating a willingness to discuss them on an individual basis, will do wonders for student appreciation.

Anyone who has read the Thresher over the past few years knows that many students on this campus struggle with mental health issues to varying degrees throughout their time at Rice. The faculty senate clearly views this as an issue to be addressed — they adopted a resolution trying to do just that. But their resolution is just words on a page that falls short of any real action.

Unsafe drinking is a cultural problem, not a policy problem

Party culture is back, babes. We’ve got publics nearly every weekend, Pub every Thursday and freshmen scoping out the best (read: most awkward) parties on campus. While we’re excited to welcome back a “return to normal,” there’s been a concerning increase in dangerous drinking habits on-campus. In the wake of consistently high numbers of alcohol related transports and students being found passed out drunk and alone, we’re calling on Rice students to think about what it means to be a good friend and community member in situations where alcohol is involved.

Before going any further, we want to be clear: we love alcohol. We both drank heavily freshman year, and while our alcohol consumption has decreased since then, we both still drink regularly — sometimes to excess. In our time at Rice, we have never been seriously worried about the state of drinking or party culture on this campus. But we are worried right now.

We live on a college campus. Drinking should be expected. Drinking to excess should be expected. It’s a common, dare we say necessary, part of the college experience. But the existence of that environment does not alleviate students from the responsibilities embodied in the culture of care.

We know that referencing the culture of care usually elicits eyerolls from most undergrads, but all it really boils down to is being a good person. The culture of care is not just calling for medical

assistance when your friends have too much to drink — it is ensuring they don’t get to a state where that call is necessary to begin with. It’s not pouring them another drink when you realize they’re too drunk. It’s making sure that one of

As a community, we need to treat [unsafe drinking] as the cultural problem it is, so the administration isn’t forced to treat it like a policy issue.

your friends who’s been drinking isn’t left alone — either of their own volition or yours.

Sure, we need to be more conscious of our limits when it comes to alcohol and not push those limits unnecessarily. You don’t have to keep up with what your friends are drinking, you can take breaks or stop drinking throughout the night. But that isn’t the problem. Drinking, even when large portions of campus are messily drunk, does not concern us. What’s concerning is that dangerous drinking culture is being viewed as a series of mistakes made by an individual rather than evidence that we aren’t caring enough for each other on a community level.

We shouldn’t have to say this: don’t ditch your friends when they’re drunk.

Don’t ditch a single member of the Rice community when they’re drunk. Even worse, don’t think that their intoxication isn’t your problem. If we want to call ourselves a community, then it’s all of our problem.

There are rumors going around that campus is one bad night away from going dry. While we don’t blame administrators if they are considering that option, we want to state for the record that we believe that to be a terrible idea. Whether campus is dry or wet, alcohol will be prevalent; that’s the reality of a college campus. On a dry campus, EMS calls will drop, instances of public intoxication will drop, but problematic drinking habits will not disappear. Instead, they’ll be hidden. Drinking will be conducted in secret, and students will be more hesitant to reach out for help when needed for fear of punishment.

The solution is not to eliminate alcohol, but to reform the drinking culture that’s been established so far this semester. As a community, we need to treat this as the cultural problem it is, so the administration isn’t forced to treat it like a policy issue.

EDITORIAL STAFF

* Indicates

Board

Ben Baker-Katz* Editor-in-Chief Morgan Gage* Editor-in-Chief Bonnie Zhao* Managing

NEWS Hajera Naveed* Editor Maria Morkas Asst. Editor Keegan Leibrock Asst. Editor

OPINION Nayeli Shad* Editor

FEATURES Riya Misra* Editor

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Michelle Gachelin* Editor

SPORTS Daniel Schrager* Editor Pavithr Goli Asst. Editor

SPECIAL PROJECTS Prayag Gordy* Editor

BACKPAGE Timmy Mansfield Editor Ndidi Nwosu Editor Andrew Kim Editor

COPY Jonathan Cheng Editor Annika Bhananker Editor

PHOTO, VIDEO, & WEB Katherine Hui Photo Editor Cali Liu Asst. Photo Editor Jasmine Liou Video Editor Camille Kao Asst. Video Editor Eli Johns-Krull Asst. Video Editor Brandon Chen* Web Editor

DESIGN Robert Heeter Art & Design Director Anna Chung News Siddhi Narayan Opinion Alice Sun Features Ivana Hsyung Arts & Entertainment Olivia Robson Sports Lauren Yu Backpage

BUSINESS Edelawit Negash Business Manager Jazmine Castillo Distribution

Ben Baker-Katz

Morgan

Exchange student Paulina Quiros finds a new community at Rice

looking into exchange programs with some reservations.

“I know a friend [who] went to Spain last semester, but he didn’t fit in really well in the social area. It was really difficult for him,” Quiros said. “At first, I chose one semester because I was afraid of the social [scene].”

However, Quiros’ fears were for nothing: when she first arrived, she said she was surprised by how friendly everyone was.

“The first week I got here, I got COVID. I didn’t know anyone, and I contacted [Dr. Ozaki-Sensee]. She’s one of the Owl team. She was super nice to me, and really helpful. I became really close to her because of that,” she said.

Quiros said she enjoys the social life and traditions of her residential college, although it is difficult to compare them to the traditions at the University of Costa Rica, where most students commute from home and make friends through classes. According to her, the residential college system was a different change to the social structure she was used to.

“I really like [Lovett’s] commons culture,” Quiros said. “We don’t have a space to hang out on the floors — I’ve heard other colleges have floor culture — we have to spend time in commons. I feel like you get to know way more people in commons.”

ZOE KATZ SENIOR WRITER

While thinking about the American college experience, popular media may call to mind movies such as “Legally Blonde” or “Gossip Girl.” For Paulina Quiros, a Lovett College junior and exchange student from Costa Rica, it was these pop culture depictions that pushed her to study abroad in the United States. She said she first discovered Rice while searching for specific study abroad programs in the country.

“[Rice is] a really, really good school, so I thought it was [going to] be the best one, and it was going to open more opportunities for me,” she said. “The [Rice] community is really cool.”

Quiros is currently in her second semester as an exchange student at Rice. Her time here has been notably different from her

time at her home school, the University of Costa Rica, mainly due to the pandemic.

“I [started] school [in Costa Rica] in March 2020. I went to three days of class and then COVID hit. After that, it was two straight years of Zoom classes. Basically, I didn’t have a real college experience back home because of that,” Quiros said. “My actual college experience on a campus began here.”

According to Quiros, her time at the University of Costa Rica was marked by negatives, including a rocky adaptation to virtual learning, but wasn’t without its conveniences as well.

“I think [Zoom] made some things easier. I really liked it because back home we don’t live in dorms, we live back in our house. So I feel like it saved me a lot of time traveling,” she said.

Quiros said she had always wanted to study abroad. However, she said she started

I know a friend [who] went to Spain last semester, but he didn’t fit in really well in the social area. It was really difficult for him. At first, I chose one semester because I was afraid of the social [scene].

LOVETT COLLEGE JUNIOR

The friendliness was not limited to Lovett’s A-team, she said. According to Quiros, her fellow Lovetteers also made her feel at home.

“I was supposed to be here just for the spring semester, but I really liked it. People were super nice to me. So I applied to extend my stay here, and I ended up staying for a year,” she said.

At Lovett, Quiros said she has been involved in three different IM sports: powderpuff, basketball and soccer. This semester she is also on Lovett’s college night committee, where the theme is “Drunkingham Palace: Queen Elizabeers United Keg Dump.”

“I wanted to be part of something in Lovett,” she said. “I adapted really well to the social [area]. I fit in really well with the people here.”

According to Quiros, she would tell anyone planning to study abroad to be willing and open to make new connections and get involved.

“You should talk to people. They might not seem friendly [initially], but people are really friendly. Try to talk to people and don’t be afraid,” she said.

Quiros said that her time at Rice has been a time for both personal and academic growth. She said that studying abroad was a transformative experience.

“Being away from home has changed me personally. I’ve grown a lot,” Quiros said. “[It’s] one of the main reasons that I feel like I’m really learning.”

DOWNHOANG NGUYEN FOR THE THRESHER EDITED BY JAYAKER KOLLI

ACROSS

von Bismarck

diem”

KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER

Paulina Quiros

H&D whips up a new culinary internship

NISHANKA KUTHURU THRESHER STAFF

Rice Housing and Dining has recently launched the Culinary Internship, a student internship program aimed at teaching students cooking and other skills while simultaneously expanding student employment opportunities on campus.

Beth Leaver, the Senior Operations Director, said she has been working with Chef Kyle Hardwick to launch and maintain this program.

“We started the internship after the fall semester started. Most universities employ students in their kitchens and we thought this would be a good opportunity for our students and chefs,” Leaver wrote in an email to the Thresher.

Sawyer Archer, a Hanszen College senior, said he found out about the internship in September from an email from his college coordinator.

“The students are eager to learn, and some have developed their cooking repertoire like making cinnamon rolls from scratch, producing crepes during service at an action station and creating homemade cheese,” Leaver said.

Working around six hours a week, Truman Archer, a Hanszen College senior, said he mostly works with pastries and other desserts at South Servery.

“I help Chef David out with a bunch of different things, like making dough and batter, shaping the dough and putting together products so they look pretty,” Truman Archer said. Once I cracked 540 eggs in a row without stopping.”

Sawyer Archer said that another skill he and other culinary student interns have learned through this program is how to cook while accounting for the volume of students in the serveries.

Truman Archer HANSZEN COLLEGE SENIOR

“I work three days a week with a 3 to 4 p.m. shift each day. Each shift we show up and ask one of the chefs what they need help with, so responsibilities vary a lot based on what they’ve already gotten done and what more they have planned for the day,” Sawyer Archer said.

Open to all students regardless of their cooking abilities, Leaver said this internship is aimed at teaching students basic techniques in food preparation, allowing students to expand their culinary skills.

“I’ve done a lot of cooking back home so I’m no stranger to the kitchen, but it’s super interesting to see how they scale things up to feed so many students,” Sawyer Archer said.

Sawyer Archer said he he has enjoyed his experience so far, and appreciates the opportunity to develop his culinary skills and work more closely with the Housing and Dining staff.

“Overall, I am insanely grateful for the opportunity,” Sawyer Archer said. “The dining staff work so hard and I enjoy everything they serve us, so I’m glad I can help them out a bit in return.”

Senior Spotlight: Katherine Wu shoots for gold

Despite sometimes seeming otherwise, Rice does not have a shortage of good athletes. Take Katherine Wu, an Olympic archer and McMurtry College senior.

“For me, it’s all about how I can bring [my identities] to the community,” Wu said. “Not only do I do archery by myself, but I also want to share the knowledge that I have with the rest of [my] community.”

Wu said she began practicing archery when she was 13 years old. She started competing and trying out for tournaments before making the Junior Dream Team, a USA Archery program. More recently, she represented Rice and won first place in the 2022 Vegas Shoot collegiate women category, the largest indoor archery tournament in the world with over 3,000 competitors.

She is now an archer with the USA National Team, attributing her success to a combination of resistance and passion.

“When I’m shooting archery, it’s very meditative and requires a lot of focus,” Wu said. “But the feeling of a perfect shot is so amazing. It’s just that feeling that you know that it will go into the gold, and then it does.”

At Rice, Wu said that she has been able to unite experiences as both an archer and a student, ultimately helping her avoid burnout.

“Archery gives me a break from studying, and being a student gives me a break from just doing archery all the time. That’s why I have not been burned out during competitions.” Wu said.

Wu’s academics are another aspect of her life that she ties archery into. A neuroscience major on the pre-medicine track, Wu said that her love for neuroscience connects the rest of her passions.

“I think the brain is fascinating. There are so many things that we don’t know about it and so many areas for research,” Wu said. “It ties into a lot of things that I do, like archery. For example, my understanding of the mechanisms of the

brain and the awareness levels really helps me with meditation and improving sports psychology. It also ties into music, because the music really heals the brain, the body and the mind.”

After winning Miss Chinatown USA in 2019, a competition that selects ambassadors who represent the Chinese community and promote Chinese traditions, Wu said she has also strived to spread her Chinese culture and heritage to a wide range of people. Her talent in Guzheng, a Chinese instrument, rests at the core of her cultural identity, she said.

“I [love] sharing the Guzheng with the community because there are so many people who have never heard of this instrument,” Wu said. “Guzheng was my talent for the Miss Chinatown USA Competition. I played Guzheng for some of the patients in Houston Hospice. I even played in the McMurtry Talent Show when I was a freshman.”

Reflecting on her experience at Rice, Wu said that she can’t imagine attending any other school.

“When you see the list of stuff that I’ve done, it’s not because of me by myself. It’s because of everyone else who has helped me along the way,” Wu said. “The professors who taught me, the administrative staff who helped me to find the field at Rice to continue training and the friends who helped me fold [paper] cranes … It’s through other people that I’ve been able to get to where I am today. I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Fall into these autumn activities this season

SARA DAVIDSON THRESHER STAFF

As November begins and the weather finally stays cool, the time to get out and explore Houston is upon us. Events listed below range from one day events to month long festivals, each with lots of fun, food and entertainment promised. Whether you want to hop on the metro to explore downtown or take a day trip outside of Houston, there are upcoming activities catered to all interests.

The Renaissance Festival

The 48th annual Texas Renaissance Festival, which runs every weekend until Nov. 27th, is happening in Todd Mission, just an hour’s drive away from campus. The event boasts themed weekends, including Celtic Christmas and Barbarian Invasion. There are over 70 acres of rides, reenactments, food, shops and activities to take part in. Festival-goers can dress up in their best historical costumes and observe the cacophony of furries, witches, pirates and more all uniting under the same event.

Dia de los Muertos Parade & Festival

This year is the 2nd Annual Houston Dia de los Muertos Parade & Festival, happening Nov. 5th in Downtown Houston. The festival will have live music, arts, food and a parade from 7 to 8 p.m. The event is free to attend and the parade is also open, though traditional authentic attire is recommended for those wanting to participate.

Houston

is located just a short metro ride away from campus into Midtown. The event will have over 70 different food vendors from Houston, Austin and across Texas, with foods ranging from ice cream to gumbo to vegan burgers. There will also be live music throughout the day for some dancing to work off all the food.

Cinema Arts Festival

This week-long festival is happening from Nov. 10 through the 17, and is being put on by the Houston Cinema Arts Society. There will be a wide variety of featured films with a focus on Houston-based diversity, screening films such as “Women Talking,” “The African Desperate” and “Friday I’m In Love.” Cinespace, an annual film competition done in partnership with NASA, will be shown, as well as a regional short film competition entitled “Borders | No Borders.” Films are held at both indoor and outdoor locations around Houston, and tickets can be bought for individual shows or an all-access package.

Fried Chicken Fest

Purely a celebration of fried chicken, this festival is happening on Nov. 5th, about 20 minutes north of Rice campus. There will be live music, art and, of course, many fried chicken dishes served up from a variety of local restaurants and food trucks.This event is only for those 21 and older, as cocktails are included with the purchase of a “Judge’s Pass,” which grants attendees food sampling vouchers. Sign-ups are still available for the festival’s fried chicken wing eating contest, for any participants interested in becoming Houston’s fastest chicken wing eater.

I help Chef David out with a bunch of different things

... Once I cracked 540 eggs in a row without stopping.

Houston Food Fest

YUKI WANG FOR THE THRESHER

COURTESY KATHERINE WU

LILY REMINGTON / THRESHER

HAI-VAN

New climate justice mural at Rice’s Solar Studios

Gardens — long-time residents — so those are wide-ranging stories about what it was like to grow up there experiencing change in the neighborhood,” Ambroso said. “And then, of course, [they discuss] living with the cancer clusters and the health effects of the industry, but also the way that the industry provided middle class jobs and was a way of achieving the American dream for Black families that were cut off from that.”

“We’re exploring the connection between wood preserving sites and the Northern capital that allowed those sites to be possible — specifically the Mellon family, who were the investors in the wood preserving industry, and the Koppers industry who were linked to railroad site in Houston,” Ambroso said.

A year ago, Aaron Ambroso and Tiffany Jin co-founded the Houston Climate Justice Museum with a mission: to challenge conventional museum ideals and address climate change within spaces that do not traditionally acknowledge it. This Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., the museum will be unveiling their newest project at Rice’s Solar Studios, an experimental exhibit titled “Creosote Stories: Seeding Planthroposcenes in Northeast Houston.”

“[We wanted to use] a museum to tell stories about environmental justice and climate change but also [use] those subjects to rethink what a museum does,” Ambroso said. “We were interested in a museum that would be about [climate justice], but also in thinking about the way museums have themselves perpetuated narratives that have made it more difficult for us to address climate change within those spaces.”

In line with this mission, the exhibit focuses on how creosote has affected the lives of Houston residents. According to the Texas Tribune, creosote is a mix of

chemicals used as a wood preservative at Houston’s Union Pacific Wood Preserving Works site, which operated as a wood preserving facility until 1985. Residents of Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens, which are historically Black and socially vulnerable communities, have long been concerned about the lasting health effects of soil contamination from this creosote. In 2019, the Texas Department of State Health Services identified a cancer cluster in this area, meaning that higher than normal cancer rates were found in both adults and children in the surrounding communities.

The Houston Climate Justice Museum’s “Creosote Stories” works to bring attention to this environmental injustice through oral histories of residents, paintings and other multimedia forms of art.

The Climate Justice Museum began working on this project after being approached by a group of students at the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work, who had put together oral histories of Houston creosote contamination.

“[The oral histories] are from folks who have lived in Fifth Ward or Kashmere

The exhibit will consist of three different parts in each room of the Solar Studios. The first reconstructs the life of a fictional 111-year-old person born in Houston when the Houston Wood Preserving Works was created. Envisioning their room, struggles, and story growing up in Northeast Houston, this part of the exhibit hopes to uncover some knowledge about the lives of those who have grown up with lives shaped by Union Pacific and creosote contamination in Houston. Ambroso said this section features the five oral histories collected and created by the University of Houston graduate students.

“It’s kind of an exploration of real people’s lives and also these abstract fictional lives of Black workers in the South, and the stereotypes and fictions of Black labor and the struggles either for unionization [or] the cleanup of these spaces,” Ambroso said.

The third room delves into a concept called the “Planthroposcene,” which explores relationships between humans and plants and imagines a better future. This container looks into bioremediation for contamination in Fifth Ward, plant and human relationships and the biodiversity of Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens. Art by Kashmere Garden artist Willow Curry will be featured.

“Whereas Anthropocene is about designating a time of a geological era, ‘Planthroposcene’ is about a future moment,” Ambroso said. “A scene, a stage, where people and plants’ relationships get together for a more liveable future.”

It’s been a lot of new research that we’ve been actively generating, which is slightly different than what some museums might be doing. We’re kind of toeing the line between museum and research institution in terms of what we’re adding to a story most people think they know.

Tiffany Jin HOUSTON CLIMATE JUSTICE MUSEUM CO-FOUNDER

According to Ambroso, the second container details the history of the creosote plume and how philanthropy has benefitted from the creation of a Superfund site.

According to Jin, the original research from the University of Houston students and the museum will help challenge the public’s understanding of the story.

“It’s been a lot of new research that we’ve been actively generating, which is slightly different than what some museums might be doing,” Jin explained. “We’re kind of toeing the line between museum and research institution in terms of what we’re adding to a story most people think they know.”

Thrifting 101: Where to find fall fashion on a dime

CECILIA NGUYEN FOR THE THRESHER

Haven’t brought your winter clothes to campus yet? Looking to expand your closet? Want more clothes but have no money in your bank account? If you said yes to any of those questions, Houston’s thrift stores are waiting for you. Rest assured, just like your personal style, thrift stores come in all price ranges and styles. To find your next best fits, read through the thrift stores below to find one that is just right for you.

The Cottage Shop

This Montrose thrift store has a wide selection of new and gently-used clothing, shoes, jewelry, home goods and more. Their newest items are stocked every Wednesday, with different sales on a variety of items each day. All revenue goes towards the Women’s Home, which offers holistic care and housing programs for women and their families. The shop also serves as a vocational training site for community members. Remember to shop off season if possible — it will be more cost effective to buy a sundress during the winter months when everyone else is clamoring for a warm coat.

Goodwill

This one’s a classic. There is no better place to get the complete thrifting experience than a Goodwill. Although the

stores are often cluttered with racks of ‘thrift junk’ that you would buy as a prank gift, I’ve found some of my favorite thrift finds at Goodwill stores. Additionally, Goodwill is the place where you’d be most likely to find some of the coolest clothes with the cheapest prices. Go to Goodwill stores in wealthier neighborhoods to get brand name and higher quality donations. Also, remember to look through every hanger — the good finds are always hidden between the bad ones, and you should come ready to sift through every rack. Be patient and give yourself time. The best things are not laid out for you to find, but the gratification of getting good clothes without spending a lot is worth it. Also, don’t forget to check out their furniture section — Goodwill typically has a great selection.

Out of the Closet

One of my favorite thrift stores near campus, Out of the Closet is a great middle ground between Goodwill and Pavement — its prices are lower than Pavement, but it offers a good diversity in clothing like Goodwill. Out of the Closet has the perfect mix between vintage and current styles with prices that won’t break the bank. The store donates its proceeds to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and supports LGBTQ+ populations in Houston, if you need even more reason to visit. Once you find something you love, check for holes, stains and rips — sometimes you don’t find them until after you buy the items.

Buffalo Exchange

If you’re not into the vintage clothing aesthetic, Buffalo Exchange has the best selection of current styles and popular brands, including Zara, Lulus, Madewell and more. Their prices are slightly higher than Goodwill, but all the items are mostly guaranteed to be in great condition or lightly used. If you’re not looking to spend a lot of time there, Buffalo Exchange has a good selection of already curated clothes that makes the process much easier. When thrifting, I find it useful to go to sections I normally wouldn’t — the men’s sweaters are perfect for good winter staples, and the women’s lingerie section is perfect if you’re

SHREYA JINDAL / THRESHER

looking for a cute slip dress. FYI, the men’s section at Buffalo Exchange is a bit smaller than the women’s, but is still a great place to find cool tees.

Family Thrift Outlet

Need some retail therapy without breaking the bank? New inventory is added here every Thursday priced at just $2.25, and drops by 25 cents every day until the following Sunday, after which items can cost between one dollar on Monday to 25 cents on Wednesday. If you really want to get the best bang for your buck, you won’t be disappointed here. Also, if you shop during the middle of the week, you’re bound to skip the weekend crowd.

HADLEY MEDLOCK

THRESHER STAFF

COURTESY DANNY RUSSO

Houston artist Danny Russo’s “Morning Glory” mural will be included in the new Solar Studios exhibit on campus, a collaboration with the Houston Climate Justice Museum.

Senior Spotlight : Kenzie Pickett brings life to museums

Chelsea Dacus, because it allows her exposure to art she isn’t familiar with — particularly Indigenous American and Pacific art.

Additionally, the fellowship allows Pickett to engage with artwork beyond constraints of time, geographic or physical boundaries. Recently, Pickett was given the opportunity to touch a Columbian gold piece.

“I do get the opportunity to walk through the exhibit spaces and see that art, and be intimately close with it, which is definitely interesting,” Pickett said. “They’ll be like, ‘Here’s this 2,000 year-old pot, would you like to touch it?’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t think so.’ I feel like that’s a legal issue that I don’t want to get caught up in. But I appreciate the opportunity.”

includes simplifying the information, particularly when writing tombstones.

“I feel like a lot of art history is hidden behind this academic wall, or the ivory tower,” Pickett said. “If you don’t know the art, there’s no way for you to learn about the art, or you’ll be ridiculed for it … I think every art historian professor should be forced to write 100-word labels, because you immediately have to go into a casual language with it.”

Although Pickett’s academic focus has been Western-centric because of her focus on the Mediterranean, she says that Rice’s art history curriculum reflects the diversity that more museums have been including in their curations.

Kenzie Pickett accomplishes the impossible — she revives centuriesold artifacts for the modern world. As a Camfield fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, she spends 10 to 15 hours each week researching historical objects, preparing for the museum’s new traveling exhibit and writing tombstones, which are 100-word labels that describe each artwork. At Rice, Pickett is double majoring in art history and ancient Mediterranean civilizations and double minoring in museum studies and cultural heritage. Her interest in curatorial work and museums was first ignited as a child, when she watched “Jurassic Park” and “Night at the Museum,” in which characters are magically resuscitated, reentering the 21st century as new beings.

“What these movies captured was the imagination of what a museum could be,” Pickett, a Brown College senior, said. “You have these static objects, and the first impression is that they’re dead, in the sense that they’re inanimate and there’s nothing interesting going on. But there’s

this magic in the movie — in a literal sense, magic that’s bringing everything to life. You’re able to actually have conversations with these pieces and experience the culture and the history firsthand.”

Pickett says that viewers’ ultimate goal is to connect with these pieces. She considers museums active spaces rather than static ones, but says that many museums fall short of creating an engaging space. According to Pickett, people typically have misconceptions about museums in more ways than one.

“I’m fully aware that ‘Jurassic Park’ is paleontology,” Pickett said. “But the amount of times when I say I’m interested in archaeology, people are like, ‘Oh, you dig up dinosaurs?’ is astronomical. It’s ridiculous. I don’t know why people have this conception, but I always handle it gently and say, ‘No, it’s human culture.’”

Pickett said that she was already familiar with the museum’s curatorial department after working there her freshman year for a practicum sponsored by the art history department. She was interested in the Camfield Fellowship, where she works under associate curator

Review: ‘Luv 4 Rent’ is uncategorizable

Top Track: ‘Settle Down’

JACOB PELLEGRINO THRESHER STAFF

Smino creates an uncategorizable and unique album centered around the many forms that love can take on “Luv 4 Rent.” Unconstrained creativity is nothing new to Smino, as it’s been visible in his work since his exceptional debut “blkswn.” Smino is an artist who sounds like no one else and trailblazes his own combination of neosoul stylings and an off-kilter form of rap.

Smino created “Luv 4 Rent” to inspire his listeners to “look inward instead of outward to other shit.” To do that, he outlines various forms of love throughout the album’s tracklist, merging the internal and external forms of love to create an intimate and detailed portrait of acceptance and belonging. “Luv 4 Rent” is also Smino’s first album with samples, which leads to a dense and multi-faceted sound that can envelop listeners in the music.

The album begins with an almost hymnal track sung by Smino’s little cousin that emphasizes faith and trust in what is to come. The feature from a family member brings in the type of love that can only exist between family, adding gravity to the album’s opening. Its sound elicits a pause in the listener, opening them up to what is to come.

The album was previewed for listeners with the lead single, “90 Proof,” a track that J. Cole had requested for his own album after featuring on it.

“90 Proof” emphasizes trying and learning to love in relationships and continues J. Cole’s string of exemplary features in the past year.

“90 Proof” flows right into “Pro Freak,” a track that was originally based around the sample used in J. Cole’s “January 28th.” However, the band refused to clear the sample that was originally used, saying that Smino was too vulgar, which led to the producers creating new instrumentation instead.

“Luv 4 Rent” is a further evolution for Smino’s sound that sees him experimenting with samples and stretching his musicality to new heights. It is an album that manages to stand out with its unique sound, a difficult feat with all of the music available on streaming today.

This article has been condensed for print. Read the full article at ricethresher.org.

Incorporating old artifacts into the modern world also calls for them to be included in recent movements for increased accessibility in museums. Pickett, who eventually hopes to work in a curatorial position, says that museums have a connotation of being boring and stuffy. She wants to open the space to visitors of all ability levels and educational backgrounds so that everyone can connect with the artwork.

“I definitely think museum spaces physically need to be changed,” Pickett said. “I don’t know if you’ve had this experience, but I hear about it every time my mom goes to a museum with me: there are no places to sit. It’s like a single bench and a massive gallery, and that’s it.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met just a normal art history professor,” Pickett said. “They’re always a character, and I always love that because I’m like, ‘Ooh, a new person that I get to experience – this is great.’ But the department itself, [in terms of] preparing me for what I wanted to do with my research, they’re very supportive.”

Pickett encourages any interested students to remain open to new opportunities that the department offers, particularly because of their flexibility in providing financial accommodations.

BROWN COLLEGE SENIOR

For Pickett, creating increased accessibility in museum spaces also

“I would urge people, if they are interested in art, the art history department or going to museums, to just keep an open mind,” Pickett said. “Always go in with not so much the expectation that you’re going to get something out of it, but instead that this is going to be a new experience for you. It’s not just stuffy museums and old artworks, it’s legitimately a very fun program.”

We are looking for adult volunteers from the community, 18 64 years old, to participate in a research study

how well two different

people from

COURTESY MOTOWN

I feel like a lot of art history is hidden behind this academic wall, or the ivory tower … I think every art historian professor should be forced to write 100-word labels.

Kenzie Pickett

MICHELLE GACHELIN A&E EDITOR

ZEISHA BENNETT / THRESHER

Soccer rights the ship just in time for postseason

DIEGO PALOS RODRIGUEZ THRESHER STAFF

A little less than two months ago, the Rice soccer team was in troubled waters. As the final whistle blew on their last game before conference play, sealing a 5-0 loss to reigning national champion Florida State University, the Owls had a 2-6 record. From the outside looking in, it seemed as if the Owls were destined for a disappointing season. But since then, the Owls have swept all of their Conference USA opponents, aside from one nonconference tie, and set themselves up for what is bound to be an exciting conference tournament.

double their season total and showcase the potential that the team hadn’t shown during the non-conference season. Their only loss since the FSU game came at the hands of Texas A&M in College Station, where the neck-and-neck game was decided by a late, long-range free kick. Despite the loss, Lee felt confident about the team heading into the latter half of conference play.

Half the team on the field at any point hadn’t played together when we kicked off. Then it just took us a little while to get comfortable.

“It was a good training environment for the stretch run of conference play, especially being able to defend that well against a good team,” Lee said. They were welcomed back to conference play by the University of North Texas, who currently have the second-best record in the conference.

According to head coach Brian Lee, their early results came from a lack of familiarity between new and experienced players.

Brian Lee HEAD COACH

“Half the team on the field at any point hadn’t played together when we kicked off,” Lee said. “Then it just took us a little while to get comfortable.”

In the ten conference games that the Owls played, they conceded only three goals while netting 19, and leading C-USA in both categories. Their wave of success started immediately after the loss to FSU when Rice visited the University of Texas at San Antonio. This became their first in a series of four straight wins to more than

A 2-0 win against the Mean Green sparked a streak

of four straight games where they didn’t concede a single goal – the last of which was a win against Western Kentucky University on Rice’s Senior Night. The Owls closed off their last two conference games with a 3-1 win against Middle Tennessee State University and a 0-0 draw against the University of Alabama at Birmingham, both games featuring a high number of minutes from Rice’s bench to rest the starters for the upcoming conference tournament.

Throughout the undefeated conference season, the Owls relied on the

men’s takes 4th at C-USAs

Both the Rice men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the Conference-USA Championships race this past weekend. The women’s team placed third overall in a six-kilometer race, and the men’s team placed fourth in their eightkilometer race.

For the women’s team, seniors Caitlin Wosika and Alyssa Balandran placed No. 10 and No. 13, respectively, and junior Taigen Hunter-Galvan placed No. 11. All three received second-team all-conference honors. Senior Lina Spjut and freshman Ame Attenborough placed No. 24 and No. 25 to round out the top 25.

According to women’s head coach Jim Bevan, the team, which was missing last year’s conference individual champion, Grace Forbes, stepped up in spite of its injuries.

“I was extremely proud and happy with our performances today,” Bevan said. “We have been less than 100 percent healthy recently and have had to make training modifications. The team responded with,

on a personal basis, the best performances of the year or their careers. You cannot ask for any more than you can give, and they all gave the most of themselves and we finished as high as possible. I am immensely proud of this team”

For the men’s team, sophomore Elliot Metcalf and junior Travis Dowd were awarded third-team all-conference honors for finishing at No. 20 and No. 21, respectively. Jon Warren, the head coach of the men’s team, said he was proud of his squad’s performance on Saturday.

“We packed up very well today which resulted in [a] solid team performance,” Warren said. “Elliot [Metcalf] and Travis [Dowd] earned all-conference honors leading this tight pack. Overall, it was a good day, and the team gave solid performances.”

Next up on the schedule for both teams is the NCAA South Regional, which will be hosted by Texas A&M University Nov. 11. Last year, the women’s team took second at regionals to earn a ticket to the NCAA championships.

This article has been condensed for print. Read the full article at ricethresher.org.

performances of veteran players. Since the start of conference play, graduate transfer forward Grace Collins leads C-USA players in goals and points with seven and 16, respectively, and senior midfielder Delaney Schultz following just behind with five and 12. Rounding out the pitch, senior goalkeeper Bella Killgore leads the conference in shutouts with seven and is second in saves with 49. Outside of the statsheet, many players have stepped up in their roles to provide quality performances, leading the team to tying their best conference record in school history. Lee emphasized how the connection between the new and experienced players contributed to the conference success.

“I think it’s a nice mix between the newcomers and the older players,”

Lee said. “[We already had] some great veterans in the team, but [adding] Grace [Collins], [graduate midfielder] Madi Allen, [freshman defender] Carsyn Martz, [freshman midfielder] Kallie McKinney and [junior forward] Shelby [DesRoches, coming off an injury last season], has made a really big impact.”

The C-USA Tournament begins on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the quarterfinals. Despite their success in conference, Lee believes that the team can keep improving at the conference tournament and beyond.

“We’re always trying to progress and get better, just keeping focus on improving,” Lee said. “One thing we’re pretty certain of is that we still have room to grow, and the best is still yet to come.”

This is a new low for

Rice football

ESPN’s Ryan McGee publishes a list of the ten worst teams in college football’s primary division. Rice has graduated from the rotation of teams regularly featured in his column, but their opponent last week, the then 1-7 University of North Carolina at Charlotte, hasn’t – they were the last ranked team in his most recent list.

Yet, no one seemed to tell that to the Owls, who proceeded to allow 56 points to the 49ers team that had fired their head coach only days earlier. Charlotte went into the game allowing 43.25 points per game; Rice’s offense couldn’t muster more than 23. The 49ers’ lone win on the season before Saturday was by one point. They beat the Owls by 33.

Heading into last week’s game, Rice football was in the midst of one of its best seasons in the last decade. They had pulled off upset wins over the University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and came as close as they have in years to knocking off the University of Houston. At 4-3, they were two wins away from a bowl game, and as luck would have it, they were scheduled to play one of the worst teams in Division I football in front of their home crowd for Homecoming.

statement wins against UAB and Louisiana look far less impressive now that both teams are under .500 in conference play. And Rice has continued to struggle to put away bad teams. The Charlotte loss is case in point, but before that, they lost to a then 2-4 Florida Atlantic University team and needed overtime to beat second-to-last place Louisiana Tech University.

Failing to reach a bowl game in Bloomgren’s fifth season would be perfectly emblematic of their lack of progress. But what’s even more astounding is that they had a bowl game in their hands just a week ago and let it slip through their fingers.

A win against Charlotte would have all but ensured bowl eligibility and given head coach Mike Bloomgren a contract extension beyond the end of this season. Instead, they face an uphill battle to reach the postseason. They need two wins from their final four games, and three of those games are against the three best teams in Conference USA.

Failing to reach a bowl game in Bloomgren’s fifth season would be perfectly emblematic of their lack of progress. But what’s even more astounding is that they had a bowl game in their hands just a week ago and let it slip through their fingers.

Ben Baker-Katz & Daniel Schrager

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF &

EDITOR

But now, it’s fair to question whether they’ve made much progress at all. Their

PAVITHR GOLI

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

LUPITA FRIAS / THRESHER Forward Grace Collins takes on a challenge from a UTEP player. Collins and the Owls head into the C-USA tournament as the No. 1 seed after an undefeated conference season.

COURTESY CONFERENCE USA

Rice’s women’s cross country team races at the conference championships over the weekend. The women’s team placed third in Denton, while the men’s team placed fourth.

COLUMN

“It’s time to elevate it one more step”: MBB eyes C-USA’s top half

SCHRAGER SPORTS EDITOR

Last year, Rice’s men’s basketball team saw their season slip through their hands as their injuries began to pile up.

“We went into last year thinking we were going to be a pretty good team,” head coach Scott Pera said. “And we were until we lost [now-junior guard] Quincy [Olivari]. We were 14-[9], and on our way to having a big year.”

It wasn’t just Olivari who got hurt, and according to Pera, there were only a handful of healthy players available as the team sputtered to a 2-8 finish in their last ten games.

“We’ve worked really hard at building [depth],” Pera said. “Last year, we thought we built it too and guy by guy went down, and it really got tested. And, you know, we ended up with about eight healthy [players] there at the end.”

The team ended the season 16-17 with a second round exit in the Conference USA tournament. They return much of their entire team from last season, but will need to replace leading scorer Carl Pierre and starting guard Chris Mullins. According to Olivari, they’ve finally added the kind of depth that will allow them to give other teams a variety of looks.

“I think the biggest thing we improved on is depth,” Olivari said. “It allows us to

have different rotations and try different things out. I haven’t really thought much into what we lost last year … but we’re gonna miss Carl.”

The team will rely heavily on their trio of returning starters: Olivari, junior forward Max Fiedler, and junior guard Travis Evee. They also brought in freshman guard Mekhi Mason, who Pera said earned a spot in his starting lineup in camp, and sophomore forward Seryee Lewis, a transfer from Kansas State University. According to Olivari, the roster is well rounded enough that the starters can afford to rest without worrying about their back-up underperforming.

defensive team. And we’ve tried to address that with recruiting guys like Mekhi and [freshman forward] Andrew [Akuchie] and [freshman center Ifeanyi Ufochukwu]. Now we have two big 6’10”, 6’11” freshmen to have better protection at the rim, something we haven’t had a lot of.”

The one word I’ve used over the years is sustainable. I think we have a sustainable program and now it’s time to elevate it one more step.

Scott Pera HEAD COACH

“It’s a good feeling, just to know that I can trust the next guy that’s coming to sub-in [and don’t] have to worry about it being a fall off,” Olivari said.

Pera’s teams have historically been built around his fast-paced, floor-spacing offense. Last year, behind a 0.370 threepoint shooting percentage, the Owls scored the fifth most points in the conference, but allowed the third most. According to Pera, while he’s had to sacrifice defense to implement his offensive system, he hopes some recruiting moves will help bolster the defense.

“That’s the big cloud over my head,” Pera said. ”We’ve recruited and tried to create an offensive system that … isn’t necessarily conducive to being a great

The Owls’ first test of the season will be on Monday when they travel to Malibu to take on Pepperdine University. They will get a preview of conference play eight days later against Middle Tennessee State University, before hosting a threeteam invitational in mid-November. However, the real test of their nonconference schedule will come on Dec. 12 when they take on the University of Texas at Austin. According to Evee, this slate will help them get ready for conference play, which starts on Dec. 29.

“I think the way it’s set up and the way that the teams that are coming in here … they’re gonna give us different looks, and they’re gonna give us competitive games,” Evee said.

The team has been competitive in conference play in recent years, but according to Pera, they can’t become complacent with middle-of-the-pack finishes and 0.500 records.

“The one word I’ve used over the years is sustainable,” Pera said. “I think we have a sustainable program and now it’s time to elevate it one more step.”

Volleyball’s defensive ace McCardell talks family, return from injury

moves, I was scared to play how I usually played, [and] I would not bend my knee because I was afraid that the incident would happen again.”

Although McCardell felt back to normal physically at the start of her sophomore season, she struggled mentally after returning to the court. According to McCardell, she began to doubt herself and dwell on errors.

“I was just not in the right headspace,” McCardell said. “I would second guess myself, I wasn’t able to move on from mistakes, and I think it was just a really challenging time in my career because I wasn’t performing at my best, and I couldn’t really figure out why.”

According to McCardell, head coach Genny Volpe recommended reaching out to a sports psychologist on campus.

my mom being my supporters.”

The sports psychologist provided some advice on how to keep them close even when they aren’t able to make her games.

“I feel like that really kind of was a breakthrough for me because my family isn’t always able to be at my games all the time,” McCardell said. “Realizing that maybe I need to talk to them a bit more before my games because they played a big part in pre-game rituals helps me.”

McCardell has come into her own this year, averaging a career-high of five digs per set for the Owls. According to McCardell, the experiences leading up to now have led to her successful play on the court.

When you look at the volleyball court, it’s hard to miss junior libero Nia McCardell, who sports a different colored jersey than her teammates. But it’s not just the color of her jersey that’s made McCardell stand out this season. McCardell has stepped into the spotlight for the Owls this season, earning four Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week awards this year alone.

The daughter of former two-time Pro Bowl NFL wide receiver Keenan McCardell, McCardell’s life revolved around sports when she was growing up.

“It was always being put into youth sports, even if I was like ‘no, I don’t want to be’”, McCardell said. “My dad was definitely hard on me, hard on all my siblings with being hard workers and being leaders, and I think that really has influenced me as a player now.”

In addition to watching her father play football, McCardell watched her older sister play volleyball when she was young. According to McCardell, her relationship with her sister strengthened her love for the game.

“I grew up always going to my older sister’s club tournaments, so I’ve always been around the sport,” McCardell said. “I really grew a strong love for the game early on,

and having her as a role model really played a part in my journey. Always being able to practice with her at home or going to the gym for extra hours really grew the strong love for volleyball.”

Recently, however, the roles have been reversed. Now, McCardell’s sister and father are the ones cheering her on the sidelines while she is having her best statistical year yet for the Owls.

“It’s kind of funny, it’s like I’m the superstar now, and all the attention is on me, and they think I’m like the best thing ever,” McCardell said. “They’re my number one supporters, and if they can’t come to my games, I’m getting these texts like ‘oh my gosh, 20 digs, 30 digs,’ or if I have a bad game, they’re the ones that I can call on, and they’ll tell me my mistakes, and we can talk about it.”

McCardell has embraced the starting libero role for the Owls this year, leading the team with 432 digs and has already recorded 100 more digs than she did in either her freshman or sophomore seasons. Despite her current success, McCardell said her freshman year tested her both physically and mentally.

“A few games into [my freshman] season, I partially tore my PCL, and that completely just altered my game,” McCardell said. “I wasn’t 100 percent, but I was still able to play, but it really affected my role on the court and my mental game. I was scared to make full

“Going in, I didn’t really know what to expect,” McCardell said. “I was just like, maybe she’s going to give me some tips to get through it, but we really kind of went in deep about my past, like how I used to get through certain difficulties and games in my past [and] past relationships with my dad, my sister and

“Playing libero again, I feel very confident in my game even though I still have those tendencies to get in my head sometimes,” McCardell said. “I do a better job of moving on from points, and I think being able to see the sports psychologist and talk about some of my issues really got me out of that rut. So I’m thankful for that because now I feel like I’m playing at a better level.”

REED MYERS SENIOR WRITER

LUPITA FRIAS / THRESHER

Junior guard Travis Evee dribbles during Rice’s presaeson game against Rockhurst. Evee is part of a trio of starters returning for the Owls, who hope to build on a ninth place finish.

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS

Junior libero Nia McCardell hits the ball during a recent game. McCardell has anchored the Owls’ defense this season, winning C-USA defensive player of the week four times.