Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 — Houston, TX

Special Projects

SPORTS 11/10/15 3:22pm

Late field goal gives UTEP win over Rice

By Aniket Tolpadi

Despite 116 receiving yards from redshirt junior wide receiver Zach Wright, the Rice University football team was unable to come up with what would have been a huge victory over the University of Texas, El Paso. Rice lost the contest 24-21 on a last-minute field goal from UTEP junior kicker Jay Mattox.After a scoreless first quarter in which neither offense was able to sustain any rhythm, both teams got rolling in the second quarter, as the Owls struck first on a three-yard touchdown run by senior halfback Luke Turner. Rice, however, was unable to keep the lead. The defense’s propensity to give up big plays at times again surfaced, as UTEP sophomore quarterback Mack Leftwich connected with junior wide receiver Jaquan White on a 58-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven.For the remainder of the game, the teams engaged in a back-and-forth affair in which neither team was able to take full control, leading to another nail-biting fourth quarter for the Owls. While the Owls were able to pull out close victories against Florida Atlantic University and the Army with game-winning fourth quarter drives earlier in the season, they found themselves on the opposite end this time around. Leftwich and senior running back Jeremiah Laufusa were able to lead the Miners down the field on what would be the game-winning drive, as Mattox put his team up for good with just 48 seconds left in the game.For the second consecutive game, the Owls’ offense appeared to stagnate due to an inability to run the ball consistently. Despite 31 attempts, the team was only able to muster 90 rushing yards, 53 of which came courtesy of redshirt junior running back Darik Dillard. Head Coach David Bailiff mentioned after last week’s loss to Louisiana Tech University how crucial it is for his offense to run the ball effectively, and that was evident yet again. The Owls were out-possessed for one of the few times this season — holding the ball for only 26:36 — which undoubtedly played a factor in the team’s loss.Bailiff, whose team only had 22 plays in the second half, said the team needs to do a better job of capitalizing on offense.“When you’re playing a team that’s keeping the ball and you’re having trouble stopping them, we’ve got to take advantage of when we had the ball, and we just didn’t do it,” Bailiff said. “We weren’t moving people at the line of scrimmage well. You’ve got to sustain blocks, keep your helmets on people. We’ve got to look at this video and figure out why we’re having trouble establishing the run, because earlier in the year we were good at it.”Redshirt senior quarterback Driphus Jackson shared the same sentiments and said he attributes the loss to a lack of physicality.“We just got outmatched,” Jackson said. “They were more physical than us, they wanted it more than us, and they got it.”Several players lamented how inconsistent the team has been this season, as the most recent loss against UTEP added to an incredibly up-and-down season. While there have been impressive victories over the University of North Texas, Florida Atlantic and Army, there have also been numerous bad losses, such as those to Western Kentucky University, Louisiana Tech University and now, UTEP. Redshirt senior defensive tackle Ross Winship said the team needs to work on fixing these inconsistencies.“Tonight we played really inconsistent football and left a lot of plays on the field, defensively and offensively,” Winship said. “We have to make the plays we have to make to score or have stops in the critical times of the game. The inconsistencies of how we’ve been playing has really been eating us up.”The loss to the Miners eliminated the Owls from contention within the Conference USA West Division, leaving the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and the University of Southern Mississippi as the remaining contenders. With a Conference USA title therefore out of reach, the Owls will shift their focus to qualifying for a bowl game for the fourth consecutive year. To do so, however, they will need to win two of their final three games, the next of which comes against Southern Mississippi. According to Jackson, it will be challenging road ahead, but one on which the Owls are ready to embark.“We’re just looking forward to getting back to it this week and moving on to Southern Mississippi,” Jackson said.The Owls will look to improve their record to 5-5 and get one win closer to bowl eligibility with a homecoming matchup against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles on Nov. 14 at 2:30 p.m. at Rice Stadium.

NEWS 11/10/15 3:22pm

Interdisciplinary gallery opens in arts district

By Lenna Mendoza

The Washington Avenue Arts District is believed to have the highest concentration of working artists in the state of Texas, and the opening of the SITE Houston exhibition presented a microcosm of this cultural hub. The space featured 30 Houston artists, whose work is as diverse as their backgrounds. The Silos at Sawyer Yard occupies one of Houston’s oldest buildings, a former rice warehouse in the First Ward. SITE Houston makes use of the silos which were used to store rice by repurposing them as individual artist’s spaces. The silos are arranged in the style of a honeycomb with one to three entrances each. Visitors make their way from room to room in the approximately 9,000-square-foot space. The comprehensive experience in the gallery is unique; each artist’s space is completely immersive, a cylinder containing each installation. The spaces in between each room, however, retain a dominantly industrial feel, leaving bare the history of the building.Lina Dib, creator of one of the installations, is both a Houston artist and a professor at Rice. Dib teaches First-Year Writing Intensive Seminar courses for the Program in Writing and Communication and holds a doctorate in anthropology.Her piece, “Pool of Sound,” fills one silo with blue light and the sound of water in response to the motion of the viewer. Sound has become an important part of Dib’s academic and artistic life following anthropology research she conducted in the United Kingdom, which included exploring the relationship between sound and memory.“I like playing with the idea of making the invisible visible,” Dib said. “Or at least palpable, into something you can feel. So maybe it’s an argument against empty space, or at least the interconnectedness of things.”Another moment of intersection of Dib’s interests in anthropology and art is in the life of the building, one of few in Houston that has stood for over a hundred years.“Tonight I met someone who used to work here; the reason she came was because she spent 29 years working in this rice packing facility and wanted to see what the space has turned into,” Dib said. “That was really interesting, to get to hear stories from someone who inhabited this building when it was a completely different building.” Gary Watson and Syd Moen also took interest in the life of the building. Their piece, “Silos Project,” documents the space in two distinct ways. One side of their silo is devoted to Watson’s more traditional photography, while Moen’s side runs clips of her 360-degree videography.“Silos Project” documents the nature of the building before and during its transformation into its current purpose.“You still felt like there was something left from the prior use of the building,” Watson said. “There was this feeling that somebody had just walked away from work one day and had just left the building … As I walked around … I was looking for the details, the signs of prior life in the building … so that I could capture the essence of what had gone on before.”Moen’s 360-degree videography captures a panoramic and incredibly busy view of the warehouse, contrasting with Watson’s static black and white images.“I’ve been playing with 360-degree imagery for over 15 years, [since] the very beginning,” Moen said. “It’s a great opportunity to play in a historical building and to try out new technology.”Aaron Courtland’s “Space Station in the Silos,” meanwhile, makes use of a projector and mirrors.“I wanted to explore space more abstractly,” Courtland said. “So in the rotating images on the projector you’ll see different interpretations of space: clouds, water, landscapes, and as they hit over a thousand mirrors inside the silo they have these light prisms of color that dance on the opposite wall.”Other installations included a wide variety of mediums and themes. “Passage” by Trey Duvall drips water onto a block of clay, slowly changing its shape over the course of its display. Nadia Pacheco and Andrea Porter’s “Which way to the rice?” features gentle flower patterns made of rice covering the floor. “Silo Flower” places the viewer inside of the petals of a giant vinyl flower, its stamens strands of flashing blue lights.SITE Houston is located at 1502 Sawyer Street, in the Washington Avenue Arts District and has no admission fee. It will be open Saturdays from 5-9 p.m. until Jan. 30.

OPINION 11/10/15 11:50am

Charting My Next Chapter

By JB Makhani

Senior year is turning out to be everything I hoped it would. The relationships I have built over the past 3 years have never felt stronger and I have finally started to master how to efficiently manage my time in college! The only sad part? Graduating in December.If you’d asked me three years ago where I was headed after graduation, I would’ve laid out my plan in full detail. From the moment I arrived on campus, I’d been preparing for law school with an eventual career in politics. Then, a few summers ago – my first teaching 9th grade Literature at Breakthrough Houston – things began to change. This work made me feel different. As much as I’d enjoyed working on campaigns and other politics-related endeavors, meeting my students was pretty much all it took to point me in a new direction.This fall, I’ll start teaching full-time, this time as a corps member with Teach For America.When I think about next steps, I know this is the one for me. And still, I’m nervous.  Will I be good enough for my kids? Will I enjoy teaching in a challenging environment?  But I’m sustained by what I know. Education isn’t serving all kids in this country. This is the most pressing issue in our country. Joining the corps will give me a chance to make an impact, develop my skills, and even hold on to some of the things I’ve loved most about Rice – a sense of community, independence and creativity, relationships that matter.One of the biggest challenges I’ll face is rooted in forces much bigger than me. When we zoom out, we see that the problems in our schools didn’t start there – they reflect deep, systemic, overlapping injustice across race, class and geography. A family who can’t access health services and who struggles to keep both parents employed. Those working multiple jobs need after school care but don’t live in communities with the resources to provide it. Each inequity makes the next one worse. Some might see this as a reason not to try – to wait until we solve poverty to try to tackle change in school. I see it as a driver to do as much as we can as soon as we can. Every day, I’m more anxious to graduate and get inside the classroom.When we come together to help kids change the way they think about their own abilities and futures, we create classrooms full of students who are dreaming big. When we equip them with the skills and tools to thrive in and out of the classroom, we cultivate boundless potential – the future scientists, politicians, writers, artists, doctors, attorneys who shape the world we are all going to share. It won’t happen overnight. It will take sustained, thoughtful effort. I want to be a part of it. I have had these kinds of experiences in two short summers, but I know the relationships I make with my students will be forever-lasting and will continue to grow.I don’t know how this next part of my life will play out. Then again, I feel like the questions I have been striving to answer in my four years are the same ones that all Rice students are looking to resolve. Maybe I will love teaching and never want to leave the classroom, or maybe I’ll become a principal, or launch a start-up to address some of challenges my students face. Wherever I go and in whatever I do, these experiences at Rice have encouraged me to do what is important and meaningful to me. Looking back on my experience with less than two months from December graduation, I encourage every one of you to seek out meaningful experiences. Rice provides an excellent environment to pass through the trials and tribulations of finding a career, but it takes a certain type of person to take advantage and learn from those times. Be that person.I cannot wait for the fall.JB Makhani is a Duncan College senior.

SPORTS 11/4/15 5:27am

Soccer senior class leaves legacy

By Jeremy Reiskind

Thursday night at Holloway Field, we witnessed the end of an era. Every year in college athletics a group of seniors leave, but the five seniors leaving from the soccer team have done amazing things to solidify themselves as one of the best senior classes in Rice soccer history.  To start, this class is the only class to secure multiple conference championships. In 2012, their freshman year, they won the Conference USA regular season with eight conference wins. Then after a disappointing 2013 campaign, the team rebounded in 2014 to win the C-USA tournament and secure a berth to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2005. A great class normally needs a star player. This class does not have just one star but two. Holly Hargreaves and Lauren Hughes have been causing havoc for C-USA backlines for four years. Hargreaves and Hughes are the best scorers in Rice history; Hughes will finish her career first in goals, assists and points while Hargreaves will finish second in goals and points. They have combined for six First Team All-C-USA honors (three each), Hargreaves was named C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2012, and Hughes was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Every superstar needs a strong supporting cast. First there is Danielle Spriggs, the outside midfielder who runs more 40-yard sprints in a game than most collegiate football players preparing for the NFL combine. Over the last two years, Spriggs has become a constant on the wing, starting every game and helping Hughes and Hargreaves put goals in the back of the net. Next is Jasmine Isokpunwu, who has helped solidify the defense. She has played center back and center defensive mid, but she is most exciting to watch in the air. Isokpunwu is so strong in the air, winning 50-50 balls as well as using her head to redirect corners or free kicks towards the back of the net. Her play this year earned her Second Team All-C-USA honors. Rounding out the five seniors is goalkeeper Kara Dugall. She has not started many games in her career, but has provided quality minutes in net when called upon. However, I know for all the seniors on this team, the past does not matter. What matters is this week, the 2015 C-USA championship and defending their C-USA title. The Owls enter the tournament as the fourth seed, which means a potential semi-final match up against the University of North Texas, the first seed in the tournament, in a rematch of last year’s C-USA title match. The two teams faced each other two weeks ago in Denton, TX on senior night, and the Owls dropped the match 2-1. Rice conceded two goals in the first 20 minutes. Afterwards, Rice calmed down and possessed the ball, however we were unable to complete passes in the offensive third and unable to put multiple quality shots on goal to test their keeper. Even in defeat, the team knows they can beat North Texas and wants a chance at revenge.Hopefully this senior class gets at least five more games and can add another accolade to its legacy: The first ever NCAA tournament victory in school history. 

SPORTS 11/4/15 5:27am

Volleyball upsets WKU in thriller

By Aaron Shi

On Halloween afternoon, the Rice University volleyball team defeated the conference-leading No. 22 Western Kentucky University in a thrilling five-setter (25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 23-25, 16-14) at Tudor Fieldhouse, snapping Western Kentucky’s 17-match win streak and avenging Rice’s five-set loss to Western Kentucky last year in the Conference USA championship match. With the win, the Owls hand Western Kentucky their first C-USA loss of the season and improve to an 18-8 overall record and 8-4 in conference play, placing them third in the C-USA standings.According to Rice Head Coach Genny Volpe, the Owls performed and competed at a high level. “Today was fun,” Volpe said. ”Our team has been up and down all season, but it seems like when we play strong opponents, we step up our game. It was a battle to the very end, and we happened to come out on top this time. It was great volleyball between two evenly matched teams that run a balanced offense.”Rice recorded season-highs in kills (83) and assists (81) with three players posting double-doubles. The C-USA Setter of the Week, sophomore setter Madison McDaniel, set a career-high 70 assists in addition to notching 12 digs. Junior outside hitter Leah Mikesky led all players with 21 kills (.280) complemented with 16 digs, and senior outside hitter Noelle Whitlock achieved a match and career-high 24 digs while also contributing 16 kills (.231). Whitlock also eclipsed 1,000 career digs late in the third set and became the 16th Owl in school history to reach such a feat.Whitlock said the achievement helped propel the team to victory.“I think [this achievement] helped me realize that this is going to be a big win,” Whitlock said after the match. “That would make that day so much better, just having both this win and 1,000 digs.” Rice took the first set 25-23 without ever trailing and held Western Kentucky to a .222 hitting percentage. The Owls never trailed in the second set either, winning 25-21 and led by as much as seven, maintaining a match-high .465 kill percentage. However, the Toppers rallied from behind to take the second and third sets 25-22 and 25-23, respectively, to force a deciding fifth set. The Toppers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the fifth set, but the Owls responded with a 7-1 run and never looked back, winning 16-14 to complete the upset.Rice now prepares for their upcoming road games against the University of Texas, San Antonio on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Marshall University on Sunday at 12 p.m. UTSA sits just above Rice at second place in the Conference USA standings, while Marshall is in eighth place with an even 6-6 record.

SPORTS 11/4/15 5:26am

Football drops pivotal C-USA matchup

By Aniket Tolpadi

After sacrificing 320 yards and four touchdowns from Louisiana Tech University redshirt senior quarterback Jeff Driskel, the Rice University football team fell to Louisiana Tech 42-17. The loss dropped the Owls to 4-4 (2-2) on the season.In a game that had major implications in the Conference USA West Division, the Bulldogs struck first on their opening drive, with junior wide receiver Trent Taylor catching a 47-yard touchdown pass from Driskel on third down. While the Owls tied the game on their ensuing drive with a four-yard touchdown run from redshirt freshman Samuel Stewart, the Bulldogs went up 14-7 when Driskel connected with redshirt sophomore wide receiver Carlos Henderson from 14 yards away from the end zone. The teams traded punts until midway through the second quarter, at which point the Bulldogs went on a drive that would be the turning point of the game. Louisiana Tech marched down the field to the Owls one-yard line with an opportunity to take a two-possession lead in the game. After the Owls stuffed senior running back Kenneth Dixon on consecutive plays, they forced an incompletion on third and goal, appearing to come up with a huge third down stop that would keep the game close. Redshirt freshman safety J.T. Ibe was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play — his second personal foul penalty of the drive — giving Louisiana Tech another chance to put the ball on the end zone. Dixon took advantage with a two-yard touchdown run, and the Bulldogs never looked back: The rushing score initiated a string of 28 unanswered points that would put the game out of reach.Rice Head Coach David Bailiff said he was upset with Ibe’s penalties, as well as several others by other players at key points in the game.“Those are selfish penalties, and we’re not going to have a selfish football team,” Bailiff said. “We start every year talking about how we’re going to be the hardest, smartest working football team in Conference USA; that’s not smart football, it’s got nothing to do with hard work.”According to Bailiff, his team’s inability to sustain momentum was a key reason for the defeat.“After that first half, we got into the locker room and they had three big plays and that was the difference in that half,” Bailiff said. “We thought we could run the ball by throwing the ball around a little bit, but a lot of the woes offensively were where we could move the chains and we’d have a drop or have a stupid penalty, and you can’t do that playing a good football team.”Redshirt senior quarterback Driphus Jackson acknowledged Louisiana Tech’s prowess as a team, but said the loss came from the Owls’ inability to execute.“They were a fast, physical team, but this is one of those games that I thought we lost it more than they actually won it,” Jackson said. “I’m not saying that to take away anything that went on in the game, but I think that [Quarterbacks] Coach [Larry] Edmondson called a great game. Offensively we didn’t execute at all.”In all likelihood, the loss to Louisiana Tech has made the Owls’ chances of winning the Conference USA West Division — and thereby earning a trip to the Conference USA title game— extremely slim. The loss dropped the Owls to 2-2 in Conference USA play, while the Bulldogs and the University of Southern Mississippi are tied atop the division with a 4-1 record. According to redshirt senior defensive tackle Stuart Mouchantaf, the team can draw on their recent season for belief that they can pull off the feat.“A few years ago we were in this position; we had to win six straight, and we did it,” Mouchantaf said. “We just need to remind the young ones that we can do this and we can keep it alive, but we have to believe and we have to work.”

OPINION 11/4/15 5:10am

CS growing pains

 

Since fall 2012, student enrollment in the introductory computer science classes has more than tripled. And why shouldn’t it have? Not only is the Rice computer science department one of the top 20 in the nation, it’s also full of engaging professors dedicated to seeing their students succeed. And, as many students are aware, jobs in computing are among the fastest growing and highest paid in the nation.However, not everything about the CS department is sunshine and rainbows. Students must follow a rigid sequence of prerequisite classes their first two-and-a-half years before they can begin to take electives, making it difficult to transfer into the major late and still graduate on time with a BS, although a three-year BA track is possible. Though the number of students declaring a CS major has tripled, the number of professors and sections offered for each required class has for the most part remained the same, with the exception of Computational Thinking (COMP 140). Unfortunately, that means the size of many required CS courses has increased to the point that few classrooms can adequately hold every student enrolled in the class, forcing students to sit on steps during lectures and, in the most egregious cases, during midterms.The lack of faculty growth in the computer science department doesn’t just affect CS majors. Because CS majors fill computer science classes to the brim, incredibly useful and practical CS classes are forced to exclude non-majors. Disciplines like sociology, psychology, statistics and almost all engineering fields are becoming increasingly more dependent on people with a knowledge of computer science, yet the CS department has restricted their access to amazing courses like COMP 140 to ensure enough seats for CS majors. As a result, many students are attempting to find jobs and internships without the programming skills they need to improve their chances of being hired. The growth in undergraduate CS majors and lack of response in adjusting the faculty size has ramifications across the university and for the careers of many of Rice’s students.The solution “We should hire more faculty or instructors” is easier said than done. A plethora of trade-offs and decisions must be made by students, faculty and administration to ensure Rice is best equipped to handle the current and future growth of computer science. As a student body, we have a responsibility to ourselves, to the university and to future owls to voice our opinions. If we don’t notify the administration of the problems, they won’t be aware of them.The CS Club sponsored a Town Hall meeting in conjunction with Dr. Sarkar, Dr. Saterbak and Dr. Nakhleh on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. to talk about student concerns regarding department growth and how the CS department can best respond to those concerns.If you feel the overcrowding of computer science classes and lack of opportunities for non-majors affects you in any way, contribute your feedback! Help continue the momentum of the department by being part of the solution. Nicholas Hansen-Holtry is a Sid Richardson College seniorRaymond Cano is a Wiess College senior

SPORTS 11/4/15 4:24am

Soccer freshmen shine on Senior Night

By Michael Kidd

The 2015 Conference USA tournament field is set and the Rice Owls are looking to bring home the championship. As the No. 4 seed in the tournament, Rice must win three consecutive games to earn the title and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Owls have momentum on their side after their Senior Night 4-0 shutout of the University of Texas, San Antonio. Despite the talented offensive group of seniors including Lauren Hughes, Holly Hargreaves and Danielle Spriggs, the underclassmen led the way against the Roadrunners. With the win, Rice closed out the regular season with a 10-6-2 record (6-3-1 C-USA).  Before Thursday’s final regular season game, the graduating seniors of the 2015 squad were highlighted for their commitment to Rice soccer and quest for excellence over the past four years. Once the game started, however it was the freshman who made a statement that the program is in good hands moving forward.In the fifth minute of the match, the scoring opened when freshman midfielder Dominique Mazero intercepted a pass in the midfield and fired off a shot on goal to give Rice the early 1-0 advantage. In the 35th minute of the match, the Owls scored again when sophomore forward Nia Stallings received a cross from junior transfer Madeleine Lundberg and deposited it by the far post for the 2-0 lead. Rice finished the half with a 15-3 advantage in shots and forced the UTSA goalkeeper to come up with six saves. Rice came out in the second half with complete control of the match both offensively and defensively. The Owls were able to make substitutions and provide rest for some of their regular starters. The bench did not disappoint, netting two goals as well and preserving the shutout.In the 75th minute, freshman defender Darcy Mickalow scored her first career goal for the Owls on a header after a sharp cross from senior midfielder Danielle Spriggs. Freshman midfielder Gabby Martinez found forward Marissa Topolski on the far right wing of the field. Topolski then played in a bending ball for freshman forward Annie Walker in the 81st for the fourth goal of the match. Senior goalkeeper Kara Dugall closed out the match and preserved the shutout as every healthy member of the Owls squad made an appearance in the game. Head Coach Nicky Adams said the seniors have been a model class for the university.“This senior class has been amazing for the program,” Adams said. “They have set the staple of expectations for this program and [are] leaving us with the most wins we’ve ever had, along with the most championships. They’re leaving a legacy and set the standard for the rest of the teams to follow as years go on.” Adams and the Owls have to win a total of four games in a row to get to the NCAA tournament level, but Adams said they are confident they have the capability to do so.“We’re definitely going to do our best [to win the tournament],” Adams said. “We’re actually in our fourth season now with preseason, regular season, conference and now postseason play and [we’ve] been playing all year for this. We need to sharpen up and be our absolute best against whoever we play in the conference tournament.” According to Dugall, the team wants to recreate its feeling from winning last season’s conference tournament.“I think our biggest thing is staying focused on the goal and not looking too far ahead but rather take it one game at a time,” Dugall said. “That feeling of winning conference and beating [the University of] North Texas was special for us last year and we want that feeling again.”The No. 4 seed Rice Owls will face the No. 5 seed Middle Tennessee State University on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. The two teams battled to 0-0 double overtime tie back on Oct. 18 at Holloway Field. Rice held the clear advantage in that matchup, taking 26 shots compared to Middle Tennessee’s 13 but were held in check by the Blue Raiders’ goalkeeper, who registered 13 saves. The winner of that matchup then likely plays the No. 1 seed of the tournament, the University of North Texas. Rice defeated the Mean Green in the 2014 Conference USA championship game last season and may have the opportunity to bump them off once again. The Owls narrowly lost to North Texas by a 2-1 score when they met on Oct. 25.The Conference USA tournament begins on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The tournament is hosted by Florida International University in Miami, FL.

NEWS 11/4/15 4:20am

Houston’s best late-night bites

By Walden Pemantle

It happened to me once. It was past midnight, I was downtown and I was hungry. After being turned away at multiple bars (I swear, I just wanted some food), I went home and made myself a greasy bag of microwave popcorn. Don’t let it happen to you.Houston has great food, but all too often when it’s late at night and you really want it, the good grub is nowhere to be found. These four spots have excellent food, convenient locations and, if you’re still awake when they close (if they close), you either have an orgo exam tomorrow or some serious insomnia.The Best of Downtown:The Flying Saucer705 Main StreetFor late-night munchies when you’re stuck downtown, The Flying Saucer might just be ideal. Open until 2 a.m. on weekends, the bar has a laid-back vibe and impressive list of satisfying sandwiches, appetizers and drinks. Specialty hot sandwiches like the Sheboygan side-by-side brat and Boar’s Head French dip go especially well with the extensive list of craft beers.Worth the Drive:Moon Tower Inn3004 Canal Street When I said that these places were conveniently located, Moon Tower was the exception. Nestled among a block of warehouses in the Second Ward, you’ll probably never find yourself in the neighborhood. Nevertheless, Moon Tower’s wild game hotdogs and incredible appetizers are among the best bar food in Houston. Open until 3 a.m. on weekends, with a monster wall of 66 beers on tap, Moon Tower is well worth the drive regardless of whether you go to drink, eat or both. Closest to Campus:Mai’s Restaurant3404 Milam Street There’s something almost miraculous about Mai’s. Open until 4 a.m. on weekends, Mai’s boasts an encyclopedic menu of Vietnamese, Thai and other Southeast Asian specialties. Occasionally the food can be badly over-seasoned, but friendly service, late hours and sheer vastness of the menu make it an easy choice if you don’t want to stray far from campus. The Classic Spot:House of Pies3112 Kirby DriveThis Rice student mainstay has earned its reputation. Excellent diner food, anytime breakfast and, of course, pies, are all draws for House of Pies. Open 24/7, the restaurant is a serious upgrade from the Waffle Houses and Whataburgers you might otherwise end up in. 

OPINION 11/4/15 4:19am

R2: Powder

By Tina Nazerian

Editor’s Note: The phrase “taking a secret to your grave” has become colloquial to the point where we don’t stop to think about its deeper implications. While many of the pieces we received had outstandingly creative takes on that colloquial meaning, this story really stood out to us in its raw and real interpretation of what it means to take a secret to your grave — how sometimes, it is the secret itself that takes you to your grave.-Bailey Tulloch, R2 Monthly Contest Committee HeadI went to Iraq to tell a story. Two years ago, I had sat in the Big Boss’s office in New York, where he told me that if I reported on the war for  a while and gave him a stellar story, he’d give me what people in the business would kill for — the nightly news anchor chair. How long I’d be there, he didn’t know, but he assured me that the soldiers would keep my crew and me safe.The first month, seven American troops and 102 civilians died when a suicide bomber blew up a food market in the city’s center. The Big Boss loved the emotional touches in my story. The third month, the soldiers discovered two members of a suicide bomber network. The Big Boss applauded how my story showed America’s war progress. The fifth month, I overheard some troops at my base talk about how they raped the women when they burst into civilian homes. My story never ran. Eventually, I got a letter in the mail, a warning from the Big Boss to not push the line.I saw them on the outskirts of Baghdad, during the eight month. I’d been following two of the troops on a mission to kill a trainee suicide bomber, and we stopped on the road so one of them could pee. Less than half a mile away, we saw a father carrying his infant son. He was sunburned across his face, and was swaying as he walked, wheezing. After the soldier zipped up his pants, he pulled out his machine gun, firing twice. First at the father – to spare him the pain of watching his son die, he told me later that day – and next at the child.“It’s always good to eliminate any potential problems,” he explained.Those words kept cycling through my head that evening back at the base. They still do. Every time I finish reading the nightly news, I go back to my Manhattan apartment, wash off the powder, and sleep, only to have the words and the father and son creep into my dreams. Sometimes I play the tape of the story I reported that night – two American troops ended the life of a suicide bomber before he ended anyone else’s – and I press my fingernails hard against my skull, hoping for it to break. November Prompt: “Coming Home”We welcome everyone to submit a piece! Email a short story or poem up to 600 words in length to r2ricereview@gmail.com. Winners receive a $25 Coffeehouse gift card!

OPINION 11/4/15 4:18am

We cannot call Rice exceptional yet

 

Earlier this year, the University of Texas, Austin came under fire for what many called a racist border patrol themed frat party. Media outlets from all over the country reported on the dynamics of the party, how the university administration was responding and what students were saying. In the wake of these events I heard a lot of Rice students expressing what I can only call Rice Exceptionalism: the belief that Rice is inherently different or better than all the other universities across the country. Students said, “That would never happen at Rice,” or “Did they actually think they would get away with promoting an event like that,” or my personal favorite, “ Did no one tell them that was a bad idea?”Because I had also “taken the red pill” and believed Rice Exceptionalism, I shared these sentiments. It wasn’t until Brown’s College Night that I realized maybe we aren’t as different as we think. Titled “The Presidential Election: Trump ’16: There’s Hell Toupee (Make Brown Great Again!),” College Night included a slew of activities, movies, trivia, food, etc. However, the superlatives activity was most revealing and troubling to me. Among a page-long list of seemingly playful and harmless “most likely to” statements the one that caught my attention read, “Most likely to be a bitch ass nigga.” Originally I thought I read it wrong: There was no way that in 2015 at Rice University a group of students thought it okay to not only give this superlative to a fellow student, but to plaster it all over both elevators in the tower.Obviously it isn’t the first time I’ve heard this word while at Rice — usually I hear it when the college stacks blast rap on Friday afternoons, or when someone feels close enough to me that they can use the term endearingly. Even though its usage isn’t uncommon, I am often perplexed why people want to use a word that carries centuries of oppression. I pondered this quandary for hours before I decided to address it, ultimately hoping I wouldn’t have to do it all. That I  as one of the few active black students at Brown and former diversity facilitator, wouldn’t have to be the one to point out racial insensitivities. While I got a lot of support and apologies from my peers, I was saddened and disappointed that no one else  stood up and said anything.If we are truly to be an exceptional place, we must be cognizant of how our actions impact our peers and have the audacity to speak out against injustices. Of course the incident at Brown is drastically different from the one at UT, but both incidents are rooted in ignorance,  inconsideration and disrespect. Don’t get me wrong:  I am extremely blessed and honored to be at Rice, but I definitely believe we have a long way to go before we can honestly be exceptional.James Carter is a Brown College junior. 

OPINION 11/4/15 4:17am

The academic menagerie of knowledge

 

The other day I learned that a solution to Einstein’s field equations, found by the mathematician Kurt Gödel, calls for a rotating universe that (in theory) permits travel between any two points on the space-time continuum. The same day, I also learned of the Elliott Wave Principle as a method of economic analysis that can predict market trends, as well as how I will probably never fully understand what Wittgenstein meant by “The world is everything that is the case.” Funny thing is, I didn’t learn any of these things in the classroom, but from simply engaging my peers in conversation. This illustrates what I’d call cross-pollination learning. Rice students are scattered across 53 majors, 18 minors and several other interdisciplinary programs and certificates. So it’s odd we don’t normally consider the academic diversity around us. Think about it: When and where else in our lives will we be in an environment so pacaced with individuals with such heterogeneous intellectual interests, yet still united by this unadulterated thirst for knowledge and learning? I know a junior who’s read Goethe’s “Faust” and another who’s currently ploughing through Proust’s “À la recherche du temps perdu” — in their original German and French, respectively. A friend of mine is using organic semiconductors to build electronics on the molecular scale, while another can parse a Mahler symphony into its most basic harmonic and formal components and explain the logic behind each measure. The collective breadth and depth of people’s knowledge and capabilities here is staggering.We come to college to study under professors, but we can learn a lot from each other as well, scholastically speaking. As Nathaniel Hawthorne observed, “It contributes greatly toward a man’s moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate.” But in our day-to-day activities on campus we rarely partake in this cross-pollination learning. Even though our social lives are spent in close proximity with students from all disciplines, we generally wind up clustered together with those who take the same classes, or are in the same major and division, as ourselves. When we do meet those in disparate disciplines, through chance acquaintances or student clubs, how often do we bother to inquire deeply about what they’re learning in their favorite class, or what their research project is all about?It’s never pleasing to find out how much we really don’t know, how confined we are with our existing knowledge and skills, but that’s exactly what Socrates realized after all his philosophizing, isn’t it? It’s an experience at once profoundly humbling and tremendously conducive to the refining of our minds. No one ever complained about getting more educated. Learning a bit more about astrophysics, mathematical finance, analytic philosophy and the other fields I’ve stumbled across through my chats with other students in my five semesters here, has only imparted on me a more sincere appreciation for the diversity of human knowledge, for how far we’ve come  in comprehending the confusing, farcical, sacred, tragic, surprising and infinitely intricate world around us and its inhabitants.A function of education is obviously to acquire knowledge, but it also shows us the limitations of our knowledge and helps us press on despite those limitations. Our peers are thus a substantial resource we can harness to grasp this. So next time you meet a fellow student, try starting up a conversation about his or her intellectual passions. It will be worth your while.Henry Bair is a Baker College junior.

OPINION 11/4/15 4:16am

SB#4 task force demands proper representation

 

Following her proposal to implement a mandatory critical thinking and sexuality course for new students, Student Association President Jazz Silva has introduced Senate Bill #4 that creates a student task force to develop the course’s content and structure (see p. 1). Students should pay attention to the debate and outcome of this legislation, no matter where they stand on the original proposal; currently, no one knows what the course will look like, just that the composition of the task force will play a significant role in shaping it. Silva must thus ensure the task force accurately represents campus.So far, Silva has added members to the task force based only on the interest they have expressed to her in helping to develop the class. While it is important that members of the task force are invested, this selection process could lead to a group consisting exclusively of those who strongly support the project as it has already been envisioned. Silva must take care to include not only the loudest voices or only supporters. A small group of members who are self-selected or chosen by just one person could easily become an echo chamber unable to fairly judge valid criticism.The task force should include those with reservations about the proposed course. Instead of disregarding a substantial proportion of the student body – over 30 percent of the students who voted in surveys at several residential colleges – that does not support the class as proposed, the task force must work to understand and address their concerns. Whether expressed openly or not, differing sentiments present in the student body now will also be present in incoming freshmen who would be mandated to enroll in the course. The best way to create a course that will challenge students to think critically is for dissenting perspectives to have a voice throughout its creation.Silva should delegate the responsibility of appointing further members to the Senate or an impartial party. In doing so, Silva would ensure that her advocacy of her proposed class does not conflict with her duty as president to include all parts of the student body. At the very least, to uphold strong ethical standards, Silva should address her conflict of interest as both the proposer of the course and creator of the task force. The Senate should consider whether this situation necessitates a constitutional change to mitigate any future conflicts of interest for proceeding presidents who propose bills.More Senators should be appointed to the task force, as they have already gathered representative feedback from their colleges and have legitimacy as elected officials in representing their college’s voice. Concerned students have a right to be a part of the task force, but it’s important to acknowledge and address that these students are not representatives of whatever groups in which they are a part, whether that be college, ethnicity, religion, gender or otherwise.Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece’s author.

OPINION 11/4/15 4:15am

One student can’t decide for every student

 

Over the past two weeks, the Student Association, led by President Jazz Silva, has promoted an innovative mandatory class aimed to improve Rice’s culture of sexual misconduct. Although her efforts so far have been commendable, Silva’s decision to advocate for her own plans conflicts with her responsibilities as SA President. It is the SA president’s duty to convey the opinions of the Senate and of all students, not just her own, to the faculty and administration. While I believe this course could be beneficial, the current process proposed to create it shuts out many students’ opinions.Last week, Silva and the Duncan College President Colin Shaw introduced Senate Bill 4, which would create a task force to develop a curriculum for the Critical Thinking in Sexuality course. While introducing the legislation, Silva outlined details of the course not specified in the legislation’s content that should be left for the task force to determine. When the members of the Senate vote on this legislation, they will be forced to vote on the idea of the class regardless of its content. While many students support the idea of the course, far fewer support all of the technically undecided details. SA members must consider whether the task force will actually debate issues relevant to developing the course or simply accept the solutions Silva proposes.Silva first mentioned her idea for a mandatory first-year sexual education class to the SA Senate one week before receiving feedback from students at the well-attended “It’s Up to Us” town hall. Senators made numerous suggestions to Silva that, for the most part, were not addressed and did not make it into the proposal. Silva first informed the college presidents about the details of the class only after she released them to the Thresher, giving the presidents no time to offer her their feedback. Silva has dismissed others’ views while considering the course, revealing the problems inherent to her conflict of interest. As a result, Silva should limit her influence on the course development process. Creating a task force should help create a balanced solution so long as its members explore the breadth of student opinion. Accordingly, I support the creation of a task force to construct the curriculum. In order to increase the task force’s accountability, Senate approved an amendment proposed by Brown College President Tom Carroll requiring the SA’s vote of approval on the plan the task force produces before it is presented to the Faculty Senate. A vote of approval would indicate to faculty members if students support the class before they conduct their own vote. Surprisingly, Silva informed the Senators that she interpreted this amendment to allow the Senate vote to occur after the Faculty Senate had already approved the course for the curriculum, depriving the Faculty of an opportunity to gauge student support of the curriculum change.Still, in theory, a task force should resolve this issue by ensuring its product fairly represents student opinion. The Senate often votes to select members of task forces, but according to the legislation, only the SA president can appoint members of this task force, allowing Silva deep control over the legislation’s direction and making it possible to build a task force unrepresentative of the breadth of student opinion. If the Senate is able to appoint members to the task force and vote on the proposal for a curriculum change before the faculty vote, the final course will better serve the community.The SA president has served our community admirably by taking an aggressive stance against a culture allowing sexual assault on campus, but the Senate should not treat Silva’s proposal any differently than one proposed by another student. In order to ensure that one student’s voice does not dictate a policy that will affect generations of future students, Silva should separate herself and her strong opinions from the debate, planning and implementation of the course, and she should not be responsible for appointing members to the task force. Furthermore, Silva should allow the Student Senate to vote on the proposal for curriculum change before the Faculty Senate initially votes on it, staying true to the spirit of Carroll’s amendment. For this course to succeed and for students to engage its mission, all students must be invested and on board with the plan, not just one.Jake Nyquist is a Will Rice College sophomore, SA Senator and the Thresher Photo Editor

OPINION 11/4/15 4:15am

Letter to the Editor: #ThinkAbtWar

 

On October 22, we in the “Dear Rice Community” received an email notifying us that an Army Apache helicopter and Stryker armored vehicle would be on campus, inviting us to admire them and take advantage of the photo op. The idea behind this event, which coincided with a Rice v. West Point football game, was presumably to celebrate the work of the military in a time of ongoing war. As an anthropologist who studies the ramifications of war violence in the lives of American soldiers, veterans, and their families, I think acknowledging that hardship and labor, and thinking carefully about what it really entails, is extremely important. And this is exactly why I was profoundly disturbed by this stunt.  Treating these deadly weapons as an opportunity to snap a selfie simultaneously erases and glorifies the violent power of war. Were we to think about what happens when metal meets flesh, we might not treat it so cavalierly. If we are going to make a space on campus for acknowledging the work of war, we must do so as part of a public conversation. And we must think carefully about the violence that is the heart of that work. A campuswide email enjoining us to celebrate a sanitized image of war’s power with a “go owls” chant shuts such conversation down.  In this instance, evidence of this horrifying power is readily available. The notorious “Collateral Murder” videos released by Wikileaks in 2010 depict a 2007 US aerial assault in Baghdad in which at least 9 innocent Iraqi civilians, including a Reuters journalist, and dozens of others were grievously injured, including two children in a van whose driver was attempting to rescue the wounded. These videos were shot from onboard the Apache helicopters from Fort Hood’s First Cavalry Division who carried out the assault.If the Apache on our campus this weekend was one of those used in the 2007 attack, would we still be happy to pose for a picture with it? And if it was not, why should we feel any different?It is a disturbing irony that at the very same moment we are voicing our grave concerns, even our disgust, at the idea of guns on our campus, we seem willing to ignore, or even celebrate, the presence of these other weapons. In the campus carry conversation here at Rice, many have noted that weapons and the aura of violence they bring are incompatible with the environment of learning we seek to create. Surely, then, before inviting military vehicles onto our campus we would want to at least consider the effect of the presence of these behemoths armed with 30 mm and .50 caliber machine guns, hellfire missiles and rocket launchers.What might the spectacle of weapons of war on our college campus signify to the members of this community whose diversity we prize? What terrible histories might this reenact? For our Egyptian or Palestinian colleagues whose universities have been specially targeted for military oppression? For members of our community involved in #blacklivesmatter, catalyzed both by the state-sanctioned killing of young black citizens and also by the militarized violence that meets their protests? For those among us whose lives are marked by the threat and use of military weapons on the Texas-Mexico border?  For those who remember all too well that mere decades ago, military weapons on American college campuses threatened and took the lives of students? Or for those who have themselves fired these weapons, who do not have the luxury of glamorizing their violent power, or who know in their aching bones what it feels like to be blown up inside a Stryker (a vehicle that might save you, but not your buddy, or might keep you alive and shattered at the same time)? We owe it to our community to think carefully about such things. And if the aim of this stunt was indeed to acknowledge the work of the military in this time of ongoing war, let us please think carefully about that too. Now, in anticipation of Veteran’s Day, we have an opportunity to do just that. Between now and November 11, learn something new about lived experiences of war in America today. Share something you know about it with other members of the Rice community. Ask your students to consider what the military weapons on our campus this weekend showed, and what they hid. Talk to your friends about what they think. Share this letter on social media. And tweet your thoughts with the tag #ThinkAbtWar. Zoë H. Wool, Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Anthropology at Rice University

NEWS 11/4/15 3:56am

Rice club uses music to heal

By Minoti Kale

Rice has several clubs geared toward meeting the demands of many varied student interests, but few unite those coming from backgrounds as different as the humanities and medicine. Music MDs, a music therapy-based Rice club that was founded in fall 2014, does just that. Music MD’s roots lie in Florida where the club’s founder, Duncan College junior Varun Bansal, originally started the organization in high school.  The club consists of a group of student musicians, each highly proficient in their chosen area of music, who play music for patients at Houston Methodist Hospital. “What we basically do is go up to patient floors and play in individual patient rooms after asking the patients if they’d like to hear some music,” Bansal said. The members of the organization also have to meet the Methodist volunteer requirements and are a part of the general Methodist volunteer group.Though club members have not gone through formal therapy training, the club operates on the basic principles of music therapy. Though a relatively new health profession, music therapy has been proven to be very effective in assisting with physical therapy, and is also a positive motivator for patients who are undergoing intense medical treatments. The music session dates are organized by the club, in conjunction with the hospital, at the beginning of each month, and members sign up for the times when they are available. Usually a group of around seven people sign up and split into smaller groups of two or three people per room. Each group then plays a short selection of pieces for the patient.The pieces played are usually chosen by the students before they go to the hospital, based on their varying levels of experience. The repertoire covers a wide range of musical styles, though according to Bansal, it is more common for classical pieces and folk music to be requested.“We also have to make sure that the pieces we choose aren’t too long so we don’t interfere with medical care and other hospital protocols,” Bansal said. Though the pieces are generally selected by the students, patients can also request to have specific pieces played beforehand. Some more spontaneous song choices include playing “Happy Birthday” for the patients as a part of hospital birthday celebrations.“Patients in the hospital are out of their normal social  environment,” Bansal said. “What we’re trying to do is try to restore the normalcy of that environment and facilitate interaction with other people, which is something that several of these patients may miss out on.”According to Bansal and Jones College junior Julia Zhang, the music they play essentially serves as an icebreaker for conversation. “It allows us to engage with the patients. Bansal said. “Many times patients enjoy talking about famous musicians they’ve seen and they often have a child or a grandchild who plays an instrument, so playing music for them really helps with generating conversation.” Having such conversations has been clinically proven to help the patients feel happier and more socially connected, which is important to the healing process.Interacting with patients, however, isn’t always easy. According to Bansal and Zhang, students have to learn to not take rejection personally. Many of the hospital patients the students play for have been through long, difficult surgeries and are often in a lot of pain. “If a patient doesn’t want to hear something, you need to be understanding about that,” Bansal said. “Patients sometimes also have very strong opinions about things that you don’t necessarily agree with, but you have to be very sensitive to these feelings and ideas and must be very conciliatory in such situations.”Despite some difficulties, both Bansal and Zhang have found the program incredibly rewarding and several students in the club have received many positive testimonials and feedback from the patients they have played for. According to Bansal, his most memorable experience with the club came from a session with a patient who had recently had open-heart surgery. “She said that she felt like with the music that was played, every note was going right into her heart to heal it,” Bansal said. “That was very touching.”According to Zhang, the club also provides a distinctive experience for students and musicians to experience the medical environment in healthcare in a way that is very different from traditional shadowing. “It feels very involved,” Zhang said. “I think the program gives you a better idea of the empathetic side of what being a doctor would be like — interacting with them, caring for them, talking about their day and trying to help them feel better; and I feel like it is a really unique experience that you don’t really get  when you generally volunteer in the hospital.”Though the organization started in Florida, it already has a branch in Massachusetts, in addition to this newest one through Rice. “We might also try to expand our Houston program to Texas Children’s Hospital as well and to other public hospitals like Memorial Hermann,” Bansal said. “But we will definitely continue with Methodist as it has been a great experience.”

NEWS 11/4/15 3:53am

'The Altruists' blends experience, new talent

By Ryan Lee

Most protests are reactions against injustice, but sometimes, people protest for the sake of protesting itself. “The Altruists,” written by Nicky Silver, explores the lives of three such self-identified “professional protesters,” whose “sticking up to the man” mantra results in one of them being framed for murder. Directed by Rice alumna Susannah Eig (Jones ’14) and produced by Lovett College junior Mei Tan, the Rice Players Company’s performance of “The Altruists” captures the beating heart of a satirical and whimsical true story.The Rice Players chose “The Altruists” as their fall production for several reasons: First, the play is a comedy, and thus a unique departure from other works they have chosen in the past. In addition, the five-person cast and the 90-minute runtime suit their relatively small team. Finally, according to Eig and Tan, the show shares great thematic relevance to the Houston community.Eig explained that the plot, which centers on society pinning a crime on the wrong man, has special meaning in a city with one of the nation’s highest crime rates among the low-income and minorities. She said the show asks of its audience, “Are we just allowed to use people as scapegoats and say we’re good people at the same time?”Tan also noted that the play demands an examination of the way the criminal justice system affects individuals, and not just the world at large.“The play should resonate,  especially in a society where we can go on Facebook and share a cause, and we can hit ‘like’ on something that we feel is good for humanity,” Tan said. “‘Do we actually care about the people at the core of this?’ is the question that it asks.”Both directors have extensive backgrounds in theater. Eig started building her acting and directing experience in high school. Throughout her years at Rice, she continued to develop her skills by directing and assisting on plays such as “Baltimore’s Waltz” and “The Mystery Plays.” Tan’s participation in theater also began during high school and carried into college. Her freshman year, she acted in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” where she first met Eig. More recently, she has assisted with costume design for the Rice visual and dramatic arts department’s “Paganini” and “The Heidi Chronicles,” directed theater at Lovett College and assisted with a campus production of “Twelfth Night.” The Rice Players strive to achieve a professional production quality with a cast of unprofessional actors. For example, many students, including the stage manager, costume designer and set designer, had minimal to no production experience prior to “The Altruists.” To Tan, these limitations actually provide the actors and crew with more growth opportunities and freedom to develop their artistic vision.“One of the main pillars of Rice Players Company’s philosophy is that we want to be a teaching company,” Tan said. “You want [the team members] to see this as a place where they can experiment.”Tan and Eig said the production process has thus far been both plagued and blessed by surprises. At one end of the spectrum, various contractual and scheduling conflicts with professionals, including the prop and lighting designers, led to a scramble to fill gaps in the crew. At the other end, unexpected aid came in the form of an email from the playwright, Nicky Silver, who provided an updated version of the 14-year-old script, intended to fix some now-anachronistic details.Eig said she predicts that audience members will not pick up on the months of planning and preparation it took to pull off the play. She noted, however, that this is intentional.“[The audience members] literally sit there, and the lights come on, and they don’t have to think,” Eig said. “That’s our goal — to get the audience to be so lost in what’s happening in front of them that they forget their grocery list, they forget what they had for dinner — they’re just in this story.” Eig is currently working as actor and director in the theater business and applying for graduate programs in theater. As for Tan, after “The Altruists” ends, she plans to work on a production of Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice.” Rice Players will perform “The Altruists” from Nov. 12 to 21 in Hamman Hall.

NEWS 11/4/15 3:49am

Student health services issues warning on asp caterpillars following increase in EMS calls for venomous stings

 

Squirrels are no longer the only species on campus that students should watch out for. According to Student Health Services, Rice Emergency Medical Services has handled a large number of cases of asp caterpillar stings over the past week. Asps, also known as flannel moths, reside primarily in trees and shrubs during the fall months and are characterized by their teardrop shape and yellowish or reddish brown fur. But don’t be fooled by their furry appearance. Asps are coated with venomous spines that sting the skin upon contact, causing a painful rash. Health Services said that if stung by an asp, it is best to rinse the affected area with soap and water, use tape to pull out remaining hairs, apply ice to the area, take an oral antihistamine (such as Benadryl) and apply a topical hydrocortisone. If the symptoms persist or are more severe, such as shortness of breath, Health Services said EMS should be called immediately. Those with a history of allergies to insects should seek immediate care. Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson warned the Rice community about the asps on his Facebook page.“These things are quite unpleasant,” Hutchinson said.

Editor's Picks

Most Popular

The Rice Thresher