The Rice Thresher | Wednesday, January 11, 2023

ICYMI

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

VOLUME 107, ISSUE NO. 14 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023

RIYA MISRA

FEATURES EDITOR

COURTESY NASA, ESA, CSA AND STSCI

As proof that intellectual brutality pays off, Rice football’s academic standing garnered them an invite to the LendingTree Bowl, despite being one victory shy of automatic eligibility. The Owls fell to a former C-USA foe, the University of Southern Mississippi, 38-24 in their first postseason appearance since 2014.

Ramamoorthy Ramesh, vice president of research, was inducted as a National Academy of Inventors Fellow.

COURTESY JEFF FITLOW

Researcher Megan Reiter makes a discovery that’s out of this world.

Reiter and colleagues found a previously undetected cluster of newborn stars with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. SEE PAGE 2.

COURTESY RICE CEE NEWS

COURTESY RICE

ATHLETICS Jamie Padgett, chair of Rice’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was one of five researchers in the United States to be named a National Science Foundation BRITE Fellow. Under the program, Padgett received a fiveyear, $1 million dollar grant to research new approaches to infrastructure resilience modeling in response to disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes.

COURTESY BERKELEY LAB Rice volleyball appeared in the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year. They knocked off the University of Colorado Boulder with a 3-1 victory in the first round, before narrowly losing to Baylor University in five sets and ending their tournament run.

special project

COURTESY THRESHER ARCHIVE Rice’s Office of Admissions admitted 486 new students to the Class of 2027 through their Early Decision and Questbridge National College Match Program. This year marked the largest number of Early Decision applications in Rice history. SEE PAGE 3.

Crisis and damage control: Rice student leaders uphold a culture of care PRAYAG GORDY & ELLIE CHA

SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR & FOR THE THRESHER

Rice students manage significant college budgets, organize large events and plan the orientation of every new student. Student leaders say they appreciate the opportunity to shape their community — but when something goes wrong, who is left in charge?

The Thresher spoke to three student leaders who faced unique crises or prolonged challenges. It was not easy, they said, but the impact they made proved to be valuable.

Finding footing after loss Dan Helmeci was quickly ushered into a meeting with Bridget Gorman, the

dean of undergraduates, back in October.

Gorman had called in Helmeci, the Jones College president, to inform him of the death of a Jones student.

“That day, Dean Gorman told me face to face, and at that point, I was the first student to know,” Helmeci, a senior, said.

Helmeci said that he was inexperienced in handling such a difficult situation, but he was prepared to help in any way that he could. He became a spokesperson for the hard announcements while representing student voices to administrators.

“It was a lot of figuring out how to tell students [about] well-being resources that we knew had to go into effect pretty quickly,” Helmeci said. “I was one of the people helping to identify the deceased’s

closest friends and people we really wanted to reach out to individually and make sure that they had the kind of support they needed.”

As more time passes, Helmeci said he’s grown concerned that student leaders are occasionally put in situations they are not adequately prepared to handle.

“At the end of the day, we’re not trained for it,” Helmeci said. “We could be doing more damage than good, and we don’t really know that.”

Broadly, however, Helmeci said student leaders should continue to be involved in important decisions. Not doing so, he said, would make it just that much harder to support students.

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

ONLINE

FGLI student leaders tackle the hidden curriculum SANJANA JAIN & ARTIE THROOP

FOR THE THRESHER

Labor movement at Rice has stalled, organizers say PRAYAG GORDY & ALLISON YUE

SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR & FOR THE THRESHER

O-Week coords talk work, stress and pay AMBER HU & JINA PARK

FOR THE THRESHER

2 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023

Rice trustee Huda Zoghbi recognized for research on genetics, brain disorders MARIA MORKAS

ASST. NEWS EDITOR Rice emeritus trustee Dr. Huda Zoghbi is a co-recipient of the 2022 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience. She and her colleagues received this award for the discovery of genes involved in serious brain disorders.

The Kavli Prize in Neuroscience is presented by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. In 2022, it awarded the prize to Zoghbi and her collaborator Harry T. Orr of the University of Minnesota Medical School, as well as Jean Louis Mandel of the University of Strasbourg and Christopher A. Walsh of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital.

The award recognized Zoghbi’s independent work on Rett syndrome, a rare genetic mutation affecting brain development in girls, and her collaboration with Orr on

THE RICE THRESHER

COURTESY BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE Rice emeritus trustee Dr. Huda Zoghbi is a co-recipient of the 2022 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience for the discovery of genes involved in serious brain disorders.

their work for spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, a progressive movement disorder.

“This is the most special award because it’s recognized our collaboration since 1988,” Zoghbi said. “It’s really special to me [because] collaborations in science are so important, and recognition of work that’s collaborative is really important.”

Zoghbi’s interest in Rett syndrome peaked after encountering two clinical patients who, at the age of two, had lost language and motor skills and had developed specificity and balance issues, among other function losses.

“Having seen the first [two children with Rett syndrome in the United States], I was really intrigued and at the same time feeling the heartache of imagining a girl going through that … I was convinced there must be more,” Zoghbi said. “I asked the volunteers in the clinic … [to bring] me some records. I reviewed them, and I found more girls with Rett syndrome. That’s really what clinched it

for me that I want to go to the lab now and find the cause of Rett syndrome.”

Zoghbi has been on the Rice Board of Trustees since 2014 and was later elected to the Baker Institute for Public Policy Board of Advisors in 2020. She completed her pediatric neurology residency and fellowship training at the Baylor College of Medicine and later joined its faculty as a professor of pediatrics, neurology, neuroscience and molecular and human genetics. In 2010, she founded the Jan and Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital.

“The only way you can [make a difference in researching neurological problems] is if you bring people from different disciplines into the same building, encourage them to collaborate, provide them with the tools, support, infrastructure and create a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment,” Zoghbi said. “Suddenly, we can make a difference.”

Zoghbi is also a member of the National Academy of Science, National Academy of Medicine and National Academy of Arts.

She has previously won various accolades including the Elaine Redding Brinster Prize in Science or Medicine, Brain Prize and Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

Zoghbi said she’s excited about the potential of using genetic and molecular discoveries to develop future therapies.

“I think there’s lots of opportunities to bring new treatments to so many diseases like Alzheimer’s and different forms of intellectual disabilities,” Zoghbi said. “Brain science is really going to be changing in the next few years because there’s so much opportunity.

We’re doing so much biology that informs us that we’re not shooting in the dark.”

Alex Han, a Brown College junior, has been working in the Zoghbi Lab since freshman year. Han said that he appreciates Zoghbi’s ability to simplify complex scientific concepts and her attentiveness to individual projects.

“She’s really able to simplify the most complex concepts in really simple layman’s terms that even undergrads, or people who haven’t even taken AP Biology, will be able to understand the science behind,” Han said.

Dah-eun Chloe Chung, a postdoctoral associate in the Zoghbi lab, said she admires that Zoghbi is a caring mentor while aspiring to conduct good science.

“She gives a lot of intellectual freedom to her trainees when it comes to developing scientific questions and approaches to test the hypothesis, while also providing with ample feedback to refine the studies and to guide the project to the most scientifically sound direction,” Chung said.

Zoghbi said she would never trade her life in academia for anything else because of how rewarding she finds her work.

“I’m so excited about the field of neuroscience; there’s so much opportunity ... There’s so much that all of the students in neuroscience are poised to discover and make a difference with,” Zoghbi said.

Rice astronomer and colleagues discover newborn stars KEEGAN LEIBROCK

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Rice University professor Megan Reiter and her colleagues discovered a previously undetected cluster of newborn stars some 7,500 light years away from Earth. The discovery, published in the December issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, was made possible through observations by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Reiter said that the JWST makes a wide range of discoveries that were previously not feasible, partly due to its resolution that is 10 times better than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope. “[The discovery] is great for astronomers just in terms of learning how to use this new observatory; it’s a nice dataset to work with,” Reiter said.

“It also shows the sheer power of the observatory in terms of what kinds of things we can now detect that simply weren’t possible to detect before ... We actually faced difficulty in trying to figure out where to stop in the first paper just because there’s so much data and new stuff to do.”

Vice President of Research Ramamoorthy Ramesh said that Rice University research will continue pushing to bring about new discoveries, including in the field of astronomy.

“What [Reiter] and her collaborators are doing is using information that the telescope is capturing to discover stars that nobody else has,” Ramesh said.

“I am very appreciative of what she is doing.”

Reiter said that because the JWST makes it more feasible to detect and observe newborn stars, it will be beneficial in future star formation studies.

“One of the questions that I think my research group is particularly focused on is thinking about how stars, like the Sun, form,” Reiter said. “This is one of those sort of first observations that we can do to get a better understanding not only of how these stars are forming, but also how these stars are forming in the context of their environment.”

Throughout the discovery process, Reiter said that they faced a number of challenges in data analysis and acclimating due to the use of a new telescope.

“One of the challenges with working with a new telescope is that we’re all still trying to understand the telescope itself and how to work with it,” Reiter said.

“Calibration, for example, is something that is still very much ongoing and something that we need to improve before the next paper.”

Ramesh said that with a rise in new technology, Rice will increase funding for the Rice Space Institute to push for similar research opportunities in the future. “[Reiter and colleagues’ discovery] is especially important to Rice because it’s exactly what we’ve been pushing for in our Rice Space Institute, which gets some amount of funding … that is going to increase,” Ramesh said. “I’ve been saying, ‘Hey, look, we need to be solving the biggest problems through research at Rice’ … People like [Reiter] will be a key part of that.”

COURTESY NASA, ESA, CSA AND STSCI Images captured by the James Webb Telescope of recently discovered newborn stars cluster.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023 • 3

NEWS

Class of 2027 Early Decision

Rice adds 486 students to the Class of 2027 through ED admits by entry program:

1%

417

architecture

Early Decision

RIYA MISRA

FEATURES EDITOR With a 15.2% acceptance rate, Rice admitted 486 new students — 417 through Early Decision and 69 through the Questbridge National College Match program — to the Class of 2027 on Dec. 14.

These students were selected from a pool of 2,743 applicants, which is the highest number of applications to date for the Early Decision round, according to Vice President of Enrollment Yvonne Romero da Silva.

Romero da Silva said that interest from prospective students keeps growing, crediting Rice’s increasing outreach efforts, which included bringing nearly 1,000 high school counselors to campus for Houston’s National Association of College Admission Counseling, which took place from Sept. 24 to 26.

“This was a unique opportunity for us to introduce Rice to counselors from all over the country and the world,” Romero da Silva wrote in an email to the Thresher.

“One highlight was lunch in the serveries with Rice students who attended the

admits by geographic origin:

admits by school:

32%

engineering

8%

business

8%

humanities

13%

41%

international

Texas

admits by geographic origin:

69

QuestBridge Match Program

19% 32%

social sciences

46%

states excluding Texas

natural sciences

high schools the counselors are from … percent of admitted students applied as a This event was a great way to reinforce business major, a small increase from last the message of how welcoming the Rice year’s six percent.

Asianna Danielle Junge, an incoming community [is].”

Romero da Silva said that international student from Phoenix, Arizona who matched students represent 13% of the current with Rice through Questbridge, said she admitted class, while 41% are from Texas was particularly drawn to Rice for both its undergraduate and 46% are outb u s i n e s s of-state. curriculum and Maddy Whelley, commitment to an incoming diversity. student from North I’m really interested in “I want to go into Castle, New York, energy, manufacturing and business … I know said that Rice was design, and I just think it’s a newer major, on her college list the [Jones for a while, despite Rice gives [students] all the but Business School] being relatively opportunities to go there.” has a women’s unknown at her Brianna Schulstad conference every high school. year in February, “It was scary INCOMING STUDENT and that was because no one from my school has gotten in in like, 12 really important to me because I [am very years,” Whelley said. “No one applies … I passionate about] feminism,” Junge said.

Other incoming students, such as was like, ‘Okay, I know I’m taking a shot, Brianna Schulstad from Bergen County, but I love this school.’”

The business major, which was New Jersey, said they found Rice’s location introduced in Fall 2021, continues to equally as appealing as its academic garner interest, Romero da Silva said. Eight opportunities.

ANNA CHUNG / THRESHER “I wanted to be in a city with a lot of versatility,” Schulstad said. “I’m really interested in energy, manufacturing and design, and I just think Rice gives [students] all the opportunities to go there.”

Pepper Rhodes, an incoming student, said she appreciated Rice’s resources for students interested in aerospace engineering. Rhodes, who is from Fort Myers, Florida, said her experience in the Rice University Aerospace & Aviation Academy, a summer program designed for high school students interested in pursuing aviation, led her to apply to Rice under the Early Decision program.

“I got to meet some of the engineering professors [at Rice] … and it was really cool,” Rhodes said. “I just fell in love with the campus.”

Caitlyn Ladd, an incoming student from Austin, Texas, said her acceptance was somewhat dumbfounding — she didn’t even comprehend it at first.

“Confetti started raining from the screen, and I just kind of sat there because I didn’t realize that it was an acceptance, which sounds really dumb,” Ladd said.

“But I was elated. It felt surreal to me.”

4 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023

NEWS

Clear Thinking.

The New Minor in Philosophy.*

* the major is also pretty darn cool.

philosophy.rice.edu

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023 • 5

THE RICE THRESHER

EDITORIAL

If the SA wants to be taken seriously, campaigning can’t be a joke Student Association elections at Rice routinely garner little attention, often struggling to break 25% turnout, which the Thresher and years of SA representatives have called problematic for the health of our student government.

With the recently proposed election timeline cutting campaigning to just one week, we’re worried this year we might manage to reach a new low.

In previous years, the SA election saw nearly three weeks of campaigning, including the week-long voting period.

That might sound like a long time, but many students who didn’t vote in SA elections say they didn’t know the election was happening or couldn’t be bothered to vote.

While the official election timeline has not been set, the proposed timeline shared with the Thresher indicated only one week of campaigning, followed by the standard one week of voting.

While the director of elections indicated that campaigning may be allowed to continue through the week of voting, we

do not feel this is a substitute for ample time before the election. The director declined to share his reasoning for the change with the Thresher.

Why should students be invested in an election when candidates aren’t given the time to be invested in them?

The potential extension to the proposed timeline still cuts the campaign period down by 33%. This reduces time for candidates to reach potential voters and is not sufficient time for candidates to promote their platforms. Why should students be invested in an election when candidates aren’t given the time to be invested in them?

As a guiding principle, the SA should be trying to improve engagement in their

elections, and the best way is to allow candidates more time to connect with potential voters. Considering our voter turnout was critically low to begin with, we think it unwise to implement election policies that will further discourage candidates’ abilities to engage voters.

A week-long campaign timeline will do more harm than good when it comes to increasing voter participation and for allowing voters to gain a comprehensive sense of who and what is on the ballot.

Typically SA election timelines are voted on in November, but this year, Senate will be voting on an election timeline on Jan. 23, meaning any changes to the timeline are on a tight deadline as election season approaches.

We encourage everyone to reach out to their college’s SA representatives and ask them to support multiple weeks of campaigning before voting begins.

Regardless of your interest in the SA, we hope that everyone agrees our election process should seek to engage as many students as possible.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Rice isn’t pro-choice until it supports both choices A choice, by definition, must be between two or more possibilities. As I read about Rice’s Reproductive Health Working Group in the Thresher’s Nov. 30 Special Project, I’m struck by the fact that only one response to student pregnancy was presented. Reproductive health is not limited to contraceptives and abortions, but also includes prenatal, postnatal and maternal care and it is critical that the RHWG include these elements in their priorities. For Rice to be pro-choice means that it supports students regardless of their choice, and while some might choose to procure an abortion, others may choose to keep their child.

Presently, Rice is woefully unequipped to deal with student pregnancy, especially at the undergraduate level. With Texas’s total ban on abortion, the university needs to reckon with the fact that its students will get pregnant, and some will choose to have the baby.

At the graduate level, students may apply for a six-week parental leave after birth or adoption, with an option to extend the leave for an additional six weeks due to health complications. While students are released from their academic responsibilities during their leave, they are expected to complete all the semester’s coursework upon their return. There does not seem to be a formal policy for undergraduates.

Title IX prohibits discrimination against pregnant and parenting students (students

cannot be expelled, kicked out of the dorms before the infant is born or lose financial aid due to pregnancy), but it is vague on what accommodations are necessary.

Typical accommodations include larger desks, bathroom breaks, access to lactation rooms and excused absences or flexible deadlines for medical reasons. I believe

Reproductive health is not limited to contraceptives and abortions, but also includes prenatal, postnatal and maternal care and it is critical that the [Reproductive Health Working Group] include these elements in their priorities.

Rice could go well beyond that and follow the lead of other universities who offer highly subsidized child care or even free housing to parenting students. Rice can also mobilize its student body to support parents, such as by offering volunteer babysitting opportunities or expanding the meal-swipe donation program to better accommodate families.

It is not only students that Rice can support with improved family policies.

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with the Rice Thresher, in print or online!

While full-time, benefit-eligible faculty who are primary caregivers can receive up to one semester of leave at full pay, this benefit is not offered to other Rice employees. While Rice Children’s Campus is a fantastic resource offering convenient, high quality education for preschoolers of current Rice affiliates, it’s on the more expensive side and is inaccessible to many.

One fifth of American undergraduates are parents, and they are not supported.

61% of student fathers drop out of college, along with 41% of student mothers, yet those who do graduate have higher average GPAs than their peers. Parenting students are a valuable group in education, and the solution isn’t getting rid of them — it’s making sure they’re cared for. Rice claims it wants to increase its enrollment and diversity, yet neglects this demographic. It touts a Culture of Care, but fails to foster a culture that cares for families.

If “Abortion Through the Ages” shows us anything, it’s that Rice students will face unplanned pregnancies. What if Rice went far beyond contraception vending machines, and truly supported students, no matter which way they chose?

Elisabeth Torres-Schulte MARTEL COLLEGE SENIOR

EDITORIAL STAFF * Indicates Editorial Board member Ben Baker-Katz* Editor-in-Chief Morgan Gage* Editor-in-Chief Bonnie Zhao* Managing Editor NEWS Hajera Naveed* Editor Maria Morkas Asst. Editor Keegan Leibrock Asst. Editor OPINION Nayeli Shad* Editor FEATURES Riya Misra* Editor Sarah Knowlton Asst. Editor ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Michelle Gachelin* Editor Hadley Medlock Asst. 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 Camille Kao Video Editor Eli Johns-Krull Asst. Video Editor Brandon Chen* Web Editor DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION Robert Heeter Art & Design Director Anna Chung News Siddhi Narayan Opinion Alice Sun Features Ivana Hsyung Arts & Entertainment Ben Baker-Katz Sports Lauren Yu Backpage BUSINESS Edelawit Negash Business Manager Anna Rajagopal Social Media Vanessa Chuang Distribution

ABOUT The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper of Rice University since 1916, is published each Wednesday during the school year, except during examination periods and holidays, by the students of Rice University.

Letters to the Editor must be received by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication and must be signed, including college and year if the writer is a Rice student. The Thresher reserves the right to edit letters for content and length and to place letters on its website.

Editorial and business offices are located on the second floor of the Ley Student Center: 6100 Main St., MS-524 Houston, TX 77005-1892 Phone: (713) 348 - 4801 Email: thresher@rice.edu Website: www.ricethresher.org

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6 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023

THE RICE THRESHER

Inked: Exploring the stories behind student tattoos felt they had too much focus on making her look attractive and seductive, which didn’t ASST. FEATURES EDITOR match my understanding of the myth as a The letter ‘Oht,’ a runic character and really tragic story of injustice and feminist video game logo, is emblazoned on Felicity rage,” Phelan said. “I was interested in Phelan’s inner wrist. It was their first tattoo, getting a Medusa tattoo that aligned more with my understanding of her story and Phelan said. “‘Oblivion’ was the first ‘real’ video game was especially interested in working with a I ever played, and the ‘Elder Scrolls’ series female artist.”

Irene Wang said her tattoo, a carton of is one of my favorites,” Phelan said. “In the game, there are these portals you go pixelated peach milk, was inspired by the through, and the logo is the shape of one of designs of tattoo artist Rachelle Viola.

“There isn’t any significant meaning those portals. Since ‘Oblivion’ was my first video game, I think of it as my ‘portal’ into behind it, all I knew was that I wanted to the world of video games and thought it was get a tattoo that was in more of a ‘cuter’ style,” Wang, a Baker College sophomore, fitting for a first tattoo.”

Phelan is host to many more tattoos, said. “This was my first tattoo, and I’m really each with their own individual story. A happy with how it turned out.”

Spontaneity over Tang Dynasty poem significance seems etched into Phelan’s to be a common thigh was inspired thread among many by their Chinese inked students on heritage, which they I chose a design that I campus. Angie Fan, said they wanted to thought would blend a McMurtry College pay tribute to with naturally with my body senior, said her their designs. over time. tattoo of a woman’s “My Chinese figure adorned with name is 桃花, Ynez Kerley mushrooms was also which means peach MCMURTRY COLLEGE SENIOR an act of impulse. blossom, and the “I was visiting a friend in Madrid, and we tattoo is a sort of sad love poem I like that talks about peach blossoms. I wanted to get were wandering the city when she spotted something related to my Chinese identity,” a tattoo shop,” Fan said. “We made the impulse decision to book appointments Phelan, a Duncan College freshman, said.

Keeping in line with the symbol of together for that afternoon … there isn’t blossoms, Phelan said their tattoo of an really a deeper meaning to it, but in the end, orange blossom branch on their forearm is my tattoo reminds me of friendship and spontaneity for the sake of art.” also linked to their heritage.

Ynez Kerley, a McMurtry senior, also said “I chose oranges because I love citrus smells in perfume and because in Chinese she associates her design with friendship, as culture, oranges are associated with success her tattoo artist was a close friend of hers.

“My tattoo is an abstract handpoke and good fortune,” Phelan said.

Another piece, a bust of Medusa, also design that I got last July while interning in New York City. The artist is my friend bears a personal connection.

“Medusa is a really popular tattoo Joyce, who goes by @texturemapping_ on subject, but I’d always found tattoo Instagram,” Kerley said. “I always admired depictions of her to be very male gaze-y and their designs and thought a tattoo from

SARAH KNOWLTON

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them would be a lovely souvenir of my summers in the city.”

Kerley said she opted for an abstract tattoo because of the variety of ways people can interpret the design.

“I chose a design that I thought would blend naturally with my body over time and remind me of the shooting star I saw once on [the artist’s] rooftop,” Kerley said. “I like that everyone who sees it interprets it differently — like a nebula, strands of DNA or a shooting star.”

Other students take less spontaneous approaches to their designs. Drawing upon personal experiences and identity, Angelina Hall said that her tattoos are always thought out in advance.

“My inspirations are always my family or my identity. Most of my tattoos are ones I thought about months in advance, and I’d make small edits or changes to the idea or design before finally deciding to go in and get them,” Hall, a Brown College junior, said.

Hall has several tattoos inspired by the poetry of Maya Angelou, as well as a halo and

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KATHERINE HUI / THRESHER wings that she shares with her mother. She also has the phrases carpe noctem (seize the night) and ohana mau loa (eternal family).

Cinnamon candy Red-____ Happen Soup holder Wicked Ten million, in South Asia Missing Nevada’s Biggest Little City Volcano-like “Love Scars” and “Topanga” artist Trippie Disadvantage Roof reacher Olympic gold medalist Thorpe Course code for accounting classes Custardy dessert Memory, in film Works of Maya Angelou and Audre Lorde Ancient string instrument Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer Tolkien tree creatures Found on the side of laptops The Strokes’ “Last ____” University URL ending Group of three Flood wall Hardcover alternative Chopped down Calf meat First responder, for short Crowd commotion Type of whale Leopard or elephant?

Logical beginning?

Great Lake that names a Pennsylvania city Security camera feed, for short Dim Sagittarius or Scorpio Observe Super Smash Bros. Brawl predecessor Exam

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Storage containers Pokemon protagonist Ketchum Hungarian composer Béla Actress Jane of “Grace and Frankie” Ease off Related to flowers Content of genius.com “still feel” artist half•_____ Quoted Leg joint Little Bo ____ Infamous historical subject of “The Greatest Showman” Second-choice option Genie home Transform from Charmeleon into Charizard etc.

Mens ___ (criminal intent) React Trojans’ school, abbr.

Chest muscles, to a gym bro Give four stars Ship framework Brendon of “Panic at the Disco!”

Grammy-winning artist India.____ Smokes, slangily “Ted Lasso” icon Roy ____ 180 from WSW

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023 • 7

FEATURES

Looking back at Rice’s first year of Gulf Scholars Program these incidents, so we can empower them to build up resilience.”

Jamie Padgett, a professor of civil From sewer overflows to and environmental engineering and environmental resilience toolkits, Rice GSP@Rice’s faculty director, said that students are becoming better equipped the program aims to open horizons for students in the ways they can contribute to handle an ongoing climate crisis.

The Gulf Scholars Program at Rice is to climate and hazard resilience supported by the National Academies challenges in the Gulf Coast.

“I hope that each student feels the Gulf Research Program, which provides support for similar programming at program contributed to their personal universities in the Gulf of Mexico region. and professional development,” Padgett The environmental studies program said.

For Valentina Osorio, who researched specializes in action related to locallevel challenges faced by communities chemical storage tank vulnerability in the Gulf of Mexico region. According against storms and is returning to lead to the program website, participants GSP@Rice’s discussion segment next will address challenges in areas of year, the experience helped her develop community health and resilience, both collaboration skills and explore the intersection environmental between academic protection and and practical offshore energy research. safety.

“Learning how Evan Jasica, Working at the interface to work in an a 2021-2022 Gulf between academia, interdisciplinary Scholar, said that community organizations team and making his career interest and nonprofits was sure that one in climate change discipline isn’t and interest in something that I never taking over the the outdoors realized [could] be other is really drew him to intentionally navigated. important,” GSP@Rice, where Osorio, a he researched Valentina Osorio Hanszen College the risks of HANSZEN COLLEGE JUNIOR junior, said. petrochemical spills in the Houston area. The program’s “Working at the interface between focus on hands-on work appealed to academia, community organizations and nonprofits was something that I him, he said.

“It offered the chance to do very never realized [could] be intentionally community-based research, something navigated.”

Cho said he program was wellthat was very practical [and] outside of traditional academia, which I think can structured and achieved its goals sometimes be pretty disconnected to the effectively, especially for its first year of real world,” Jasica, a Duncan College existence at Rice.

“There were a little bit of growing junior, said. “It felt like research … meant to address decision makers for people pains just because we were the first living next to major petrochemical [cohort], but nothing that actually plants, to understand that these risks soured the experience for me,” Cho said.

“We all had acknowledged that we were exist and what can be done.”

According to Jasica, the program figuring out the motions as we went timeline spans from spring through the along and then we finally hit our stride end of the following school year’s fall later in this program.”

Despite these growing pains, Padgett semester and consists of three parts: a student-led discussion in the spring, said she looks forward to developing the a full-time internship during summer program further and welcoming a new and a seminar in the fall that examines cohort of Gulf Scholars in the spring.

“I am so proud of the cohort and all future directions.

Unlike other research programs, of the student leaders and peer mentors which are typically conducted under that have worked on the program,” larger guidance, Jasica said he Padgett said. “Some of the main changes appreciated the opportunities for we anticipate [next year] are increased independence that GSP@Rice provided. opportunities to participate in GSP-wide “One thing that surprised me about programming and events as the national this program was how self-directed network launches its programming and it was,” Jasica said. “We talked with adds more institutions. This should our community organizations, and give our GSP@Rice Scholars the chance we helped craft a project and research to engage with students, faculty and questions that would be helpful to staff from other universities across the them and feasible for us within our country.” timeframe and abilities. I thought that was daunting, but also a really cool experience.”

Alex Cho, a Will Rice College COURTESY VALENTINA OSORIO junior, said his group worked with Bayou City Waterkeeper on disparities between communities with their drainage infrastructure.

“We’re examining which neighborhoods have the most sewer overflows and flooding and other types of incidents, and we compare that to the type of drainage systems that they had,” Cho said. “That was one part of our deliverable, and the other one was a toolkit for communities and neighborhoods to understand how they can act in response to

Owls fly high: Students talk work on Artemis missions

DANIKA LI

THRESHER STAFF

GUILLIAN PAGUILA / THRESHER

ABIGAIL ROBERT

aerospace did not begin as a child, but rather when he joined Rice Eclipse.

“I was definitely not a space kid,” It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Artemis. Holder said. “You meet a lot of people Artemis 1, NASA’s first mission in at NASA who have always been space a series of lunar exploration trips, kids, always wanted to be an astronaut, launched in November 2022. Perhaps whereas for me, the path was very Riceyou saw some of your Rice peers’ related.”

Daniel Cohen, a Lovett College handiwork — as Rice and NASA continue to collaborate, several Rice senior, said his role as a Pathways intern students are able to contribute to the largely consisted of writing code for Artemis missions through the Johnson flight controllers in the Artemis mission.

“I was writing code that would tell Space Center’s Pathways Program.

The JSC Pathways Program the simulator where, when [and] what to allows students to work with human screw up so that flight controllers could spaceflight missions and other deep get a better training experience. Those space exploration programs at NASA, flight controllers went on to actually be according to the program’s website. in mission control during [the Artemis] Through the Pathways program, Rice mission,” Cohen said.

Much like other students, Cohen students have been contributing to the Artemis missions and other space emphasized the value of Rice’s resources for aerospace careers. exploration initiatives.

“Technically, Rice gave me a solid Emily Ellison, a Sid Richardson College senior, is one of these students. background in engineering and the She said she worked on inflatable fundamentals that you need,” Cohen technologies, such as the Orion Crew said. “To work as an aerospace engineer Module Uprighting System, which will you need to have a background in keep astronauts safe when landing. thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, Aerospace has interested Ellison since structures … and also the hands-on aspect of it. I really got that through the childhood.

“I have always really liked space,” Eclipse rocket team.”

W y e t h Ellison said.

McKinley, a Jones “I grew up College senior, watching Star said he credits Trek with [my Oshman dad].

I will If you talk to someone who the Engineering say naturally, was alive in the ‘60s, they Design Kitchen my interest is will almost always tell you for helping more so in cool him develop designs and the they remember the moon technical and engineering side landing. They remember interpersonal of things.” where they were. They skills, which he Ellison said remember watching it. translated into Rice provided his internship opportunities to I would just like to see — and, starting pursue this field, that same amount of this August, will from alumni enthusiasm among our translate into connections at generation. his work as a NASA to joining full-time flight Students for the Daniel Cohen controller.

Exploration and LOVETT COLLEGE SENIOR “[I was] Development of Space, where she was ultimately working on the Artemis program as encouraged to apply for the Pathways an engineer designing structure [and] testing ladder concepts for the lunar program.

Joshua Holder (‘22) said he also lander, and as a flight controller participated in the Pathways program, training astronauts and developing for the upcoming where he was on the flight operations procedures missions,” McKinley said. team writing software for capsules.

These students are passionate about “Once you’ve designed the vehicle, you need to actually operate it, make space exploration. They say they want sure it’s doing well,” Holder said “So I Rice to be passionate, too.

“Please, I’d say, pay attention,” sat in on a lot of simulations of test runs of the mission, developed some tools Cohen said. “If you talk to someone who for the people sitting on the console in was alive in the ‘60s, they will almost the mission control room so they can always tell you they remember the send commands up to the spacecraft moon landing. They remember where they were. They remember watching it. I and receive data really easily.”

Unlike Ellison and most people would just like to see that same amount at NASA, Holder said his journey to of enthusiasm among our generation.”

FOR THE THRESHER

8 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023

THE RICE THRESHER

The Moody’s newest exhibit weaves artists into the narrative

COURTESY WOOMIN KIM AND THE SUSAN INGLETT GALLERY The Moody Center for the Arts’s newest installment celebrates international artists at the forefront of fiber arts and opens Jan. 13.

JULIA LI

SENIOR WRITER The Moody Center for the Arts is kicking off the semester with a new installment to celebrate the next generation of international artists at the forefront of fiber arts. With works from a selection of 21 artists, the art in this exhibition conveys a

multitude of contemporary issues through innovative fiber-based media. Although some artists don’t have a background in fiber-based media, they’ve come together through their own artistic journeys and processes to shape and mold the impact of their contribution to “Narrative Threads.”

Ultimately, the exhibition offers new perspectives on this medium, as the works

span from small-scale, intimate thread who identify as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color, the textiles are powerful drawings to sculptural installations.

“We started with a long list of possible carriers of cultural meaning, drawing artists who had been on our radar for a attention to both personal experience and long time, and whose work we had seen historically oppressed communities.

“For instance, sewing, as a metaphor for in various exhibitions in the US and abroad,” curators Frauke Josenhans and repair, can point to connections between Alison Weaver wrote in an email. “Through individuals and society, indicating a means conversations with artists and studio visits, of promoting healing in the wake of trauma [we] selected a group that represents a and building community in the face of broad array of different nationalities, adversity,” Josenhans and Weaver said.

Woomin Kim, one of the featured genders and techniques.”

This new exhibition ultimately explores artists in this exhibit, spoke about how her how this fiber-based medium can serve as a primary media is textile sculpture. Kim is based in Queens, conversation starter New York, but her in shedding light current textile work on hidden histories depicts Shijang, a and unique, cultural Textile is a medium large fish market in perspectives.

Korea.

“The main goal that I reach out to very “Rather than of the exhibition is comfortably. It’s like air to to explore a trend in me — the most comfortable conveying a contemporary art, message, I just considering artist’s and breathable media. wanted to share embrace of a historic Woomin Kim the depiction of the medium to explore TEXTILE ARTIST street markets from current topics the point [of view] related to identity, gender, race, sexuality of someone who grew up with this culture and power,” Josenhans and Weaver said. of street markets,” Kim said. “Asian street Through experimental and fragmentary market culture is often misrepresented in approaches, each of the artists in the the Western context, and I just wanted to exhibition utilize fiber and textiles to craft show that it’s a really big part of [peoples’] personal, social and political histories that daily lives.” ultimately invite the viewer to consider new Kim said that her project is still ongoing perspectives through diverse lenses. and continues to change.

Each of these exhibitions has its own “It is growing, just like the market culture story to tell. According to Josenhans and in Asia,” Kim said. “Textile is a medium Weaver, the different techniques utilized that I reach out to very comfortably. It’s by the artists are often inspired by ancient like air to me — the most comfortable and practices. According to several of the artists breathable media.”

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ cast member Colin Robertson talks national tour SARA DAVIDSON

THRESHER STAFF

One classic musical has captured the hearts of audiences for ages: “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The show covers the last few weeks of Jesus Christ’s life as shown through the eyes of Judas and merges musical theater with rock classics.

Recently, the Thresher got to meet with cast member Colin Roberston to talk about the show’s upcoming run. Robertson plays Peter, one of Jesus’s twelve disciples, and is also part of the general ensemble.

The touring production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” will be coming to the Hobby Center Jan. 17-22, and tickets start at $35.

I think this show is really cool and this production is maybe not exactly what people are going to be expecting. I just would hate for people to come in expecting like classic good old ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and then be like ‘Why is there glitter?’

Colin Robertson CAST MEMBER

“Jesus Christ Superstar” is Robertson’s first national tour, and he said that the show has a special place in his heart. He said that he grew up listening to the album and dreaming of being a part of it, so this tour sees him coming full circle.

“This is actually one of my favorite shows of all time, it’s very lucky that I get

COURTESY EVAN ZIMMERMAN “Jesus Christ Superstar” tells the story of the last few weeks of Jesus Christ’s life through the eyes of Judas. The tour is coming to the Hobby Center Jan. 17 - 22.

to be in it,” Robertson said. “I’ve wanted to be in it for forever, and it’s a total blessing to be in it right now.”

Within playing Peter, Robertson said that his role allows him to interact more musically within the show. Robertson said that coordinating with the pit to play several instruments helps him feel like he’s part of the company no matter the scene.

“I get to play a lot of instruments,” Robertson said. “Getting to not only be in scenes as a character and sing and act and interact, but be over on the sideline playing the bass drum, it’s just super fun to be able to interact in different ways in each scene … I still feel that I’m contributing or I’m in communion with the rest of the company.”

The tour has been running from midOctober of last year and will continue

all the way to the end of June. Robertson said he still finds himself learning more about the role even after three months on tour. He said he picks up on nuances in the script and production within each show and is able to see how they impact the production, which has kept him on his toes even while performing the same role.

“I am someone who loves conceptual understandings of things … I’m always noticing new things about the show and then thinking about them and applying them to different things,” Robertson said.

Robertson’s main advice to the audience is to come in with an open mind and to not anticipate a classic theatre experience.

“I think this show is really cool and this production is maybe not exactly what people are going to be expecting,”

Robertson said. “I just would hate for people to come in expecting like classic good old ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and then be like ‘Why is there glitter?’ ... Be ready for anything and be excited.”

Another word of warning that Robertson would give to viewers is the volume of the production, as the tour brings in large concert style speakers in addition to the venue’s own sound system.

He said that he’s looking forward to how the sound production will bring the show to life.

“They put flashing lights and haze [warnings] ... I feel like we also need to be like, ‘Just so you know, it’s loud,’” Robertson said. “It very much feels like a rock concert … It’s meant to be an experience of music that we share together.”

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023 • 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Winter break releases to not leave out in the cold JACOB PELLEGRINO

THRESHER STAFF

Even as we took some time off during winter break, artists were still hard at work releasing notable new albums.

In the tradition of past summer break music recaps published by the Thresher, below are three albums from the recess that shouldn’t be missed.

“Indigo” (RM) The most recent in a wave of premilitary service solo projects from BTS members, “Indigo” is a varied work that draws on a number of different genres with new collaborators and sounds. RM intended the album to be “more open [than his mixtapes] in a way people can easily relate to.” RM focused on embracing different styles of music that fit each song best, adding to his background of pop and hip-hop.

The album’s title and first track are inspired by South Korean Dansaekhwa artist Yun Hyong-keun and his response to experiences of pain and hardship through his works. For “Yun,” RM brought in Dallas R&B musician Erykah Badu for a smooth track that emphasizes the necessity of humanity in art.

Another highlight is “Still Life,” which features Anderson .Paak and has a contagious energy to it. The track creates a parallel between still life paintings and personal growth. RM alludes to the continued vitality of these paintings in which nothing ages, while reaffirming that you “can’t lock me in the frame” as he is still growing and changing. The more organic sound of “Still Life” can be contrasted with the electronic stylings utilized throughout “Change pt.2.”

“Indigo” sees RM experimenting with a wide range of genres while still creating a coherent album that relies on his own personal experiences.

“SOS” (SZA) SZA released “SOS” in December, five years after her debut. The album continues to expand on her sound, with lyrical openness and a fusion of classic and newer elements that could only come from her.

The album’s cover shows SZA sitting on the edge of a diving board over the ocean, a reference to a 1997 photo of Princess Diana. The sense of isolation that Princess Diana felt is reflected throughout the album, which SZA describes as inspired by her “departure from attempting to be a nice girl.”

The track “Kill Bill” sounds familiar and new at the same time, with a melodic chorus. The song details an unhinged obsession with a former ex and jealousy for his current girlfriend.

“Ghost in the Machine” features an unexpected but incredibly effective collaboration between SZA and Phoebe Bridgers. SZA’s verses plead for a repose from the state of the world through a toxic relationship. The track begins with a plucked instrumental that slowly grows and nicely complements both Bridgers’ and SZA’s vocals.

“SOS” further proves how unique of an artist SZA is and underscores her lyrical candor and musical inventiveness.

“NO THANK YOU” (Little Simz) “NO THANK YOU” released in midDecember with less than a week’s notice. On the album, independent

JENNIFER LIU / THRESHER COURTESY TOP DAWG ENTERTAINMENT / RCA

artist Little Simz delivers meaningful verses over lavish, sample-heavy instrumentals.

One standout from the album, “Gorilla,” is a triumphant celebration of achievement over a jazzy, bass-heavy instrumental. The instrumentation is accented by strong horns and strings that complement her delivery.

Another highlight, “Heart on Fire,” begins with a classic soul sample that is looped to create a hypnotic backing

that pads the track with a sense of polish and intrigue. Simz raps about broken trust and how people often stop caring about successful people, only putting importance on their wealth. She also addresses how fast consumeristic desires can grow with success: from art to providing for family to frivolity.

“NO THANK YOU” features meaningful and well-delivered verses over soulful production to create one of the best rap albums of 2022.

Review: ‘M3GAN’ misfires but plays on emotion

COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES

HAMZA SAEED

FOR THE THRESHER My expectations for “M3GAN” were cautiously optimistic despite its overdone premise. I thought “M3GAN” was going to be a campy horror movie with cheap jumpscares and even cheesier lines, ultimately performing within a typical January box office. Prior to booking my tickets, however, I did note that the critical reviews for the film were, shockingly, quite good.

“M3GAN” tells the story of an advanced artificial intelligence — a lifelike doll that’s programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and the ultimate parenting tool.

Designed by Gemma (Allison Williams), a brilliant engineer on the rise, M3GAN can listen, watch and learn as it plays the role of friend, playmate and caretaker. When

Gemma becomes the unexpected guardian of her 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), she decides to give the girl a M3GAN prototype, a decision that leads to unforeseen consequences.

To focus on the film’s positive qualities, “M3GAN” skillfully delivers an emotional message while creating enough tension to keep viewers watching.

“M3GAN” isn’t really a horror movie, but to some people, I can see it serving as an entry point into the genre. Since it is PG-13, much of the violence is toned down, but director Gerard Johnstone does a competent job at creating tension and a few silly kills. Surprisingly, the movie nails the uncanny valley look of the doll. Finally, I appreciate how the emotional message was conveyed in a way that didn’t feel condescending to the viewer. I was touched by the message

of the importance of building human relationships in a time where it is so easy to turn to technology or social media as a means of connection with other people.

However, the dialogue had some rough moments, especially in the second act. Even though it’s expectedly difficult to insert dark humor and still maintain an overall atmosphere of anticipation and anxiety, “M3GAN” had a lot of moments where I felt like hiding my face because of cringe instead of fright, which was disappointing.

The characters themselves are fine for the most part. Allison Williams and Violet McGraw did a decent job portraying their respective character arcs, which horror movies don’t always prioritize. However, I constantly got the feeling that the writers couldn’t decide whether everyone was smart or dumb. There is a constant and jarring swing between the horror movie

cliché of characters making seemingly random choices and in other moments having incredible foresight and complex motivations.

Despite being labeled as horror, “M3GAN” is more of a dark comedy that is goofy, a bit wacky and even zany at times.

That also extends to the dialogue, the PG13 kills and the entire premise of an A.I. murder doll itself. Should you go to see this movie? At the end of the day, it comes down to what you want out of a theater experience. This movie isn’t the type of film that leaves a lasting impression on you as you walk out of the theater, but I wouldn’t say that I wasted my two hours either. Most of my disappointment stems from the fact that I would have preferred “M3GAN” to be more horror-oriented or even a slasher-type film. Objectively, however, it is a perfectly fine movie that is worth a ticket.

10 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023

THE RICE THRESHER

WBB falls short against LA Tech, drops to 1-3 in conference

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS Guard Destiny Jackson takes on a Louisiana Tech defender during Thursday’s game. After falling behind early, the Owls’ comeback bid fell short as they lost 79-74.

CADAN HANSON

SENIOR WRITER

The start of the new year did not go according to plan for the Rice women’s basketball as they fell on Thursday to Louisiana Tech University 79-74. In their fourth Conference USA matchup this season, the Owls fell behind early, and their second half comeback fell short,

dropping them to 1-3 in conference play.

Following the loss, head coach Lindsay Edmonds said she was disappointed with the Owls’ early deficit, which proved too much to overcome.

“When you go on the road in this conference you can’t come out and start games slow, and that’s exactly what we did tonight,” Edmonds said. ”We dug a deep hole and even though we fought and

won the last three quarters, it was just too much to overcome.”

While the Owls started their season 9-0 in non-conference play, their inconference struggles continue. Despite scoring the first five points, the Owls were on the wrong end of an 11-0 run and found themselves down ten after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Lady Techsters stretched the lead to 16,

the highest of the game, before a pair of three pointers from sophomore forward Malia Fisher and senior guard Katelyn Crosthwait sparked a 9-0 run closing the gap.

The Owls started the second half down eight and cut their deficit to two before Louisiana Tech connected on a buzzer beating three-pointer. In the fourth quarter, the Owls’ efforts to erase the deficit were led by senior forward Ashlee Austin who scored seven of her teamleading 18 in the final quarter. Despite outscoring the Lady Techsters in the final three quarters, the Owls were unable to complete the comeback and lost by five.

Offensively, the Owls had four players in double figures led by Austin’s 18 points and were able to outscore the Lady Techsters in fast-break points and points in the paint. However, LA Tech outshined the Owls offensively, shooting above 50% from the field and beyond the arc. According to Edmonds, the Owl’s defensive performance was not what it needed to be.

“Defensively, we have to be more locked in to the game plan and that’s on me to fix before the next one,“ Edmonds said.

The Owls’ start to conference play has not been as fruitful as their programbest start to the season, and they’ve now dropped three of their last four games.

They have a chance to turn it around and avenge their first loss of the season when they travel to Murfreeseboro, Tenn on Wednesday for a rematch against Middle Tennessee State University. In their last matchup, a second-half push fueled a 7468 MTSU win. The game starts at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

MBB drops overtime heartbreaker to LA Tech, snaps win streak DANIEL SCHRAGER

Tech pieced together a run of their own to narrow the gap, as Rice’s offense went cold. According to Pera, the Owls had a When junior guard Travis Evee’s chance to put the game away but didn’t shot from near half-court found the capitalize when needed.

“We missed some opportunities when net at the buzzer to send their game against Louisiana Tech University on we had a seven point lead there in the Thursday night into overtime, Rice men’s second half that really would have been basketball head coach Scott Pera said big if we had hit a couple or one of those he thought his team had been given new shots to keep increasing it,” Pera said.

“We let them back in it, and to their life.

“I thought at that point we had a little credit, they played really well, they extra juice, a little extra life in the huddle deserved to win.”

With the game tied at 61, Evee hit his that could carry us through,” Pera said.

Instead, they just suffered a slower, third three of the night to give Rice the more painful defeat. A 5-0 LA Tech run lead at the four-minute mark, but LA to start overtime turned into a six-point Tech answered with a three of their own, and after another quick basket, held a Bulldog win at Tudor Fieldhouse.

“To LA Tech’s credit, they jumped out two-point lead. The teams traded misses right there in overtime, and when you’re and turnovers, until Rice junior forward chasing like that in overtime, it’s hard,” Max Fiedler hit a shot with 29 seconds left to tie the game.

Pera said.

Then, all hell broke The Owls loose. LA Tech weren’t chasing the held the ball for Bulldogs all night, what they thought however. Rice led We missed some was the last for much of the opportunities when we possession, and back-and-forth first had a seven point lead with two seconds half after a strong there in the second half left, Quandre start. The Bulldogs Bullock hit a kept it close, before that really would have catch-and-shoot pulling ahead after been big if we had hit a three over Evee’s a 6-0 run with couple or one of those outstretched arms. under six minutes remaining in the shots to keep increasing it. But Evee, who led all players with 28 half and went into Scott Pera points, wouldn’t let halftime with a one HEAD COACH his opponent have point lead.

The Owls’ shooting heated up at the the last laugh. Receiving a pass from start of the second half, with a pair of Fiedler near half-court, Evee drained a threes from junior guard Quincy Olivari long three and sent the game to overtime. giving them a nine-point lead. But LA According to Evee, Pera’s play gave him SPORTS EDITOR

COURTESY RICE ATHLETICS Guard Alem Huseinovic attempts a three during Thursday’s game against Louisiana Tech. The Owls fell 88-82 in overtime to snap their fivegame winning streak.

the space he needed to set his feet and get a shot off.

“The play was to get Max the ball in the middle, and then me and [Olivari] cut across and see if we can find an open area,” Evee said. “I was able to get my feet set and it went down.”

Overtime wasn’t nearly as close.

LA Tech’s Cobe Williams hit a pair of shots, including one from three, to give the Bulldogs a five-point lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. The teams traded baskets, and an Evee three eventually narrowed the gap to one with under a minute remaining. But LA Tech’s Isaiah Crawford made a driving layup through a foul, and hit the ensuing free throw, to give the Bulldogs a two-possession lead and forcing the Owls to foul. LA Tech hit their free throws and sealed a 88-82 win.

The loss ended a five-game winning streak for the Owls, whose only loss in their previous 11 games had been in overtime to the No. 7-ranked University of Texas at Austin. According to Evee, the Owls shot themselves in the foot too many times on Thursday to keep their run going.

“We had been playing good basketball in games prior, and that’s why we were winning,” Evee said. “Tonight we just didn’t really play the way that we had been prior for 40 minutes.”

Now 2-2 in conference play, the Owls host Middle Tennessee State University on Wednesday. The Owls took on the Blue Raiders in their third game of the season in mid-November, an 81-46 loss.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023 • 11

SPORTS COLUMN

JT Daniels’ transfer highlights Bloomgren’s best asset: his ambition A year and a half ago, in an interview, solid if slightly underwhelming numbers Rice’s head football coach Mike Bloomgren across ten starts.

His stock has undoubtedly fallen told me about his proudest memory from his days as Stanford University offensive since he was mentioned in the same coordinator. On the back of a New Year’s breath as NFL superstars, but he’s still Day 45-16 thrashing of the University someone who’s proven he’s a startingof Iowa in the Rose Bowl, the Cardinal caliber quarterback in three of the five ended the season ranked No. 3 in the major conferences. Just as notably, he’s country. Bloomgren thought that ranking a quarterback with a national profile was significant since Stanford had also who’s played for two of the most visible cracked the top-four in that year’s U.S. programs in the country. Simply put, he’s News and World Report college rankings, the kind of player Rice has no business meaning that his players had gotten eyeing, much less bringing in.

But, Bloomgren didn’t let that deter the rare chance to play for a world-class football team while receiving a world- him. He went out and got his guy, even if plenty of people would have laughed at class education.

Bloomgren brought this up not just to him for even suggesting it as a possibility. tell a nice story but to explain his vision That takes a certain level of audacity that most coaches don’t for Rice’s program. have.

When he started Maybe Daniels taking interviews rediscovers the for head coaching [Bloomgren] went out talent that made gigs in the and got his guy, even if him so coveted following years, coming out of he said, he set his plenty of people would Mater Dei High sights on schools have laughed at him for School, but there’s where he thought even suggesting it as a also a chance he’s that he could pull possibility. That takes a nothing more than off the same feat. a solid starter like To even imply certain level of audacity he’s been in recent that Rice, a school that most coaches don’t years. Even in the that hasn’t been have. best scenario, he ranked in football since 1961, could finish a season in the still won’t fix the holes in Rice’s defense top five, shows a level of ambition that is that allowed the fourth most points in the almost laughable. It’s the kind of ambition conference, or a running game that barely that can almost be a detriment to your cracked four yards a carry.

But landing someone with Daniels’ program by preventing you from setting realistic, attainable goals. That is, unless prominence immediately raises Rice’s national profile and gives it a certain you can back it up.

In the final days of 2022, after not doing amount of legitimacy. This could have so for most of his five years at the helm, a ripple-effect in recruiting, especially Bloomgren did exactly that. He landed combined with the fact that the incoming transfer quarterback JT Daniels, a former freshman class is their highest-rated in five-star recruit rated by Rivals.com as the years. And as the Owls move on to the No. 4 player in the country back in 2018. American Athletic Conference, a stronger While recruiting rankings are about as conference than Conferene-USA, they’ll accurate as President Leebron’s prediction need more of a national profile if they for last year’s Rice-Texas football game, have any hopes of being competitive.

There are still reasons to believe the names near Daniels in those rankings – Micah Parsons, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Bloomgren won’t make good on his lofty Fields, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Patrick goals; anyone who reads this section Surtain II – read like a who’s who of up- knows I’ve been plenty critical of his game management and overly-conservative and-coming NFL stars.

Of course, while his peers are already approach in the past. But if Rice doesn’t enjoying NFL success, Daniels’ career take the leap required to compete in their hasn’t gone as planned. After starting for new, more-talented conference, it won’t the University of Southern California as a be because Bloomgren isn’t trying. true freshman, he missed his sophomore season with an injury before transferring to the University of Georgia. At Georgia, Daniel Schrager he bounced in and out of the lineup, SPORTS EDITOR starting seven games across two seasons, and winning a national title as a backup in 2021. This past year, he transferred to West Virginia University where he put up

EDITORIAL CARTOON

“Owl-American”

Start your leadership journey today!

Spring 2023 registration closes on January 20th.

At the Doerr Institute, our ob ective is to connect all Rice University students with the awareness and tools that will help them find, sharpen and grow their true leadership potential. You do not have to be in a formal leadership role to participate with the Doerr Institute. We provide professional leader development training to A Rice students at no cost.

Learn more: doerr.rice.edu

HONG LIN TSAI / THRESHER “And the best part is, it’s all under five-hundred.”

12 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023

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CoCgate: A Rice Cost of Attendance Breakdown Every year, Rice students pay more and more to attend this prestigious institution. Last year tuition was $52,070, this year it’s $54,100. What’s next, $55,000?!? While the U.S. Congress was busy with their January 6th investigation, the Backpage followed the money with our own probe to figure out where your tuition dollars are going.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

$ $ $ $ $$ $ $

Fees $860 Room & Board $15,000 Tuition $54,100

Tuition

$20,000 - Drone show army

$3,000 - Bribing Texas State Board of Education to make textbook authors write new editions every year $8,000 - Three metric ton order of water chicken from purebred water chicken

$10,000 - Animatronic squirrels to keep up with all the quirky midwest universities $416 - Paying students to write “this class was challenging but rewarding if you put the work in” and “once you get to know him you realize he really cares about your learning” in course evaluations $10 - Plant a tree to ensure there are more of them than there are of you $1,000 - Commissioning that foot video on the PCF tent last year $50 - Loan Rice took out in 1989 to buy their very own Berlin Wall segment $5,000 - Designated as Whoo Deli purchases to conceal money laundering $3,000 - COMP 310 PTSD lawsuit payout $24 - Free condoms (for faculty break rooms) $3,500 - Silly sculpture by the Moody Building for your silly little mental health $50 - Desks ordered from American Girl for Herzstein Amphitheater $50 - College Magisters trampoline park retreat

Room & Board $7,000 - Housing

$3,734.83 - New Hanszen mass timber $4,000 - Our own water/power system in the event of ¼” snow $15 - Paying H&D to not notice the copious amounts of Pink Whitney under your bed $0.17 - Laundry rooms $200 - $100 in free Tetra/semester $50 - Hanszen Cheese committee

Fees $20 - HBO Max that only works when you cry and beg on your knees $840 - Expenses

$0 - Thresher Backpage even though in our opinions we do good, honest work

*Notably missing from Rice’s expenditures this year were recruiter outreach and funding for clubs with less than 100 members.

The Backpage is the satire section of the Thresher, written this week by Ndidi Nwosu, Andrew Kim, and Timmy Mansfield and designed by Lauren Yu. For questions or comments, please email dilfhunter69@rice.edu.

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Requirements: High School diploma, patience, ability to encourage a 12 year old and help build confidence at math skills. Need help to work on some basics of math covered in 7th grade class; math workbooks provided. Meet in a public place. $20 hour. Contact Marcie Carlson at marciecarlson007@gmail.com Rice Alum hiring well-qualified tutors for all levels of STEM, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Reliable transportation highly preferred. Pay $30/hr+ based on experience. Email resume to sri. iyengar@sriacademicservices.com. Visit our website www.sriacademicservices. com to learn more!

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