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SPORTS 9/9/15 3:30pm

Owls in the NFL

September 5 marks the deadline for all National Football League teams to complete their 53-man rosters. Nine Owls were drafted, two of which, Bryce Callahan and Christian Covington, made an NFL roster for the first time.The Chicago Bears signed Callahan as an undrafted free agent. During the preseason, Callahan saw time at cornerback and on special teams. He recorded six tackles during the preseason, with his best game coming in the final preseason game against the Cleveland Browns in which he got the start, had three tackles and a recorded a pass defended. The Bears will use him mostly on special teams with a few occasional snaps on defense.The Houston Texans drafted Christian Covington as a sixth-round draft pick. Throughout the preseason, Covington has received tremendous praise from coaches and players about his attitude and skill. In four preseason games, Covington recorded 10 tackles, and has now secured one of five defensive line spots for the Texans.According to Texans Head Coach Bill O’Brien, Covington is a versatile player who can make an impact on the Texans’ defense.“I see him in different roles,” O’Brien said. “He’s very active. He gets off blocks and makes plays.” James Casey, the longest tenured Rice Owl in the NFL, is entering his seventh season in the league. Casey is listed as the starting fullback for the Denver Broncos and finished the preseason with three catches for 30 yards. For his career, Casey has 72 receptions for 842 yards and six touchdowns.Besides Callahan, the Owls have two other defensive backs are on NFL rosters: Phillip Gaines of the Kansas City Chiefs and Andrew Sendejo of the Minnesota Vikings. Entering his second year, Gaines earned a starting spot this season after a strong second half of his rookie year. Last season, Gaines recorded 20 tackles and defended four passes while starting five games. In a strong preseason, Sendejo recorded 15 tackles with one pass defended. Sendejo is currently listed as a backup to start the season.Rice’s last defensive player on a NFL roster is Rice career sack leader Scott Solomon. Solomon, an outside linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, is looking to earn a starting spot this season. During the preseason, Scott started three games and recorded five tackles.Rounding out the Owls in the NFL are tight ends Vance McDonald and Luke Willson, both are entering their third seasons. McDonald, a member of the San Francisco 49ers, has been overshadowed by all-pro tight end Vernon Davis throughout his first two years in the league. With Davis entering the final year of his current contract, McDonald is now looking to make a statement to become the starting tight end next season. Willson, a member of the Seattle Seahawks, also has an all-pro tight end ahead of him on the depth chart with the offseason acquisition of Jimmy Graham. In his career, Willson has caught 42 passes for 634 and four touchdowns.Three Owls who played in preseason games did not make NFL rosters. Wide receiver Jordan Taylor was placed on the Broncos practice squad, while wide receiver Mario Hull was cut from the 49ers and kicker Chris Boswell was cut from the New York Giants. 


SPORTS 9/9/15 3:30pm

Soccer extends unbeaten streak to five games

After starting the 2015 season off with a loss in the home opener, the Rice soccer team has not experienced a loss since. On Thursday night, Rice battled against Southern Methodist University to end with a 1-1 tie in double overtime. The Owls played again Sunday night and were victorious over Southeastern Conference opponent University of Arkansas by a score of 2-1. With a 1-0-1 weekend, Rice now has an overall record of 4-1-1 in the season. With a cast of newcomers to the 2015 squad, the first-year Owls and the veteran players have seemingly had no problems linking up. In Thursday afternoon’s game against SMU, six new players contributed valuable minutes against the Mustangs for the entirely of the 110-minute match. In the 21st minute, SMU forward Lauren Guerra redirected a bouncing ball out of a crowded penalty area and into the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage. Rice remained scoreless for the first half, but after the intermission, came out vying for the tying goal in the 54th minute. Junior defender Jenny Fichera took a corner from the right side of the field and drove a bending ball into the box. Freshman midfielder Gabby Martinez rose up and connected with a shot on goal to tie the game at 1-1. That was the 10th assist of Fichera’s career and the first collegiate goal for Martinez. Despite outnumbering SMU in shots 25-11 and in corner kicks, 7-2, the game’s final score was a 1-1 draw. On Sunday night, the Owls hosted the Arkansas Razorbacks for the first time in the last 28 years. Arkansas, known for being a physical team, had some opportunities in the first half but the combination of the Owls’ defense and sophomore goalkeeper Zoe Pochobradsky squandered their attempts. With a long run starting just shy of midfield, senior forward Lauren Hughes managed to get enough space to fire a shot from outside the penalty area and connect with the bottom corner of the net to put Rice ahead 1-0. Following the first half, Arkansas continued to come out firing but Rice held strong. Riding the momentum of squandering the Razorback opportunities, Hughes and freshman forward Annie Walker completed a sequence that led to a second goal. After a lead pass out to a streaking Hughes by the near sideline, Walker continued her run into the box to anticipate a cross. Hughes drove a ball low into the box while Walker scored off a header. Hughes, with 36 career goals, was credited with the assist on Walker’s first career goal. With over 35 minutes to play remaining, Arkansas continued to fight and got one goal back in the 78th minute of the match following a corner set piece. As play got more physical in the final 12 minutes of the match resulting in yellow cards given to players from each side, Rice managed to hold on and secure the 2-1 victory. According to Head Coach Nicky Adams, the team needs to finish on their opportunities.“We are creating so many chances but we are not putting them away,” Adams said. “For us to get to the next level we’ve got to put them away.”Adams said the team succeeded against one of the more physical opponents they will face this season.“We knew with Arkansas coming in [that they are] one of the most physical, direct teams that we are going to face all year,” Adams said. “They never fail to prove how dangerous they are … so I’m really proud of this team for playing 90 minutes of just pure battling.” Walker said her first career goal was one of the best moments of her athletic career.“Basically I just sprinted as hard as I could to get into the box after I hit [Hughes] on the outside and when I looked up, it was there [so] I dove and it went in,” Walker said. “Under the lights, playing against a team like Arkansas [with an] awesome crowd here today … It was definitely one of the coolest goals of my life.”Martinez, who scored the only goal in Thursday’s matchup, said playing under veteran leadership has helped her early in her career.“Fichera served in an amazing ball and I was lucky enough to be able to get a head on it and it went in which felt amazing,” Martinez said. “Playing with [Hughes, Hargreaves and Fichera] helps me so much. They have so much experience … and I’m grateful and blessed to be able to play under them.”Rice will play their next four matches on the road. Beginning this weekend, the Owls face off against the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio on Sept. 11 followed by Miami of Ohio University on Sept. 13. 


SPORTS 9/9/15 3:28pm

Football soars in opener

Led by senior quarterback Driphus Jackson and junior running back Darik Dillard, the Rice University football team defeated Wagner University 56-16 to give them their first opening game victory since 2008.Despite losing junior starting running back Jowan Davis to injury on the opening drive of the game, the Owls were able to gain 401 yards rushing and gave up only 86. Rice also outgained Wagner on the day, 543 yards to 285, while also picking up 28 first downs to Wagner’s 13. The Owls took a 35-3 lead into halftime, after which several starters were pulled. Senior safety Zach Espinosa, who had Rice’s only interception in the game, said he was pleased with his team’s effort.“It was a great all-around team game,” Espinosa said. “The offense played well and we won the special teams battle. We were able to rotate a lot of young guys in, get the starters some rest, which we’ll need.”According to Bailiff, it was a performance that had coaches and players very satisfied.“It was a great way to start the season,” Bailiff said. “I thought [Jackson] really led our way through the football game. I was pleased with how our tight ends blocked, I thought [redshirt junior] Zach Wright was very physical with his blocking. [Redshirt junior] Alex Lyons was all over the field, he was our leading tackler. I was really pleased with our freshman [kicker] Jack Fox.”One of the more interesting aspects of the game was Rice’s use of senior Luke Turner in a sub package at quarterback. Turner, who was a high school quarterback, is capable of playing quarterback, tight end, receiver, halfback and special teams. Against Wagner, he had six carries for 21 yards and two touchdowns, while also completing an eight-yard pass.Bailiff said Turner is a critical component of the team’s offense.“[Turner] is the best pure athlete on this team,” Bailiff said. “He very rarely makes mental mistakes and we count on him to do a lot of things.”Turner fully embraces all of the roles in which the coaching staff puts him, including his quarterback package.“It’s fun to catch a snap and be the QB when you’re not always the QB,” Turner said. “We said it was a pretty good formation to run out of.”As Rice’s lead grew, fans were able to get a glimpse of the depth that this team possesses, and some of the players that make for a very exciting future such as redshirt freshman Austin Walter. In his first collegiate game, Walter entered the game as a reserve, yet still eclipsed 100 yards rushing, picking up 107 yards on 12 carries. Among those carries was a 32-yard touchdown scamper, which Bailiff said was “electric.”“Those Walter twins are going to be exciting for Rice fans for the next four years,” Bailiff said. “Our future with [redshirt freshman Samuel] Stewart and the Walter twins, we’re going to have some dynamic people back there. We haven’t had a lot of guys like those.”Jackson previously described this year’s schedule as being “a better layout” for the team, given the caliber of the opening opponent. According to Bailiff, the Wagner game provided the Owls with much to learn heading into the week two matchup against the University of Texas, Austin.“We learned a lot from Wagner,” Bailiff said. “We learned about the running backs, who can play on third and long. We’ve got to figure out our protections, figure out the passing game. We just worry about trying to go 1-0 every week and get ready for Conference USA. That’s all these games are for.”Heading into what many consider to be the biggest game of the year against the University of Texas, Austin, two things are certain: The Owls will be ready, and they will be tested. Bailiff tends to recruit more students from the state of Texas than elsewhere and as such, many Owls have personal ties to the University of Texas. Texas will be very motivated by their 38-3 opening game loss to Notre Dame and are led by Head Coach Charlie Strong, a coach that Bailiff said he deeply respects.“Charlie [Strong] will have them ready, we all know what he did at Louisville,” Bailiff said. “We don’t really have to worry about them, we have to worry about being the best team we can be this week.”The Owls will look to push their record to 2-0 on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.


NEWS 9/9/15 3:25pm

Hearsay Lounge balances uneven food with creative drinks

There’s something strange about Hearsay Gastro Lounge. Dim decorative light bulbs and a chandelier are the only lighting aside from candles, making for a particularly dark dining experience. By the stairs to the second floor, articles on the building’s historical importance line the walls as if they’re part of the mystique to promote the historic walls of a room you can barely see. The clientele sends a bit of a mixed message as well. There’s no age limit or cover like one might find at a pub, but the customers are almost exclusively affluent 20-somethings hitting the bar, which stays open until 2 a.m. The cocktails do steal the show, but Hearsay maintains a satisfying, if uneven, menu on all fronts. With good food, great drinks and fairly modest pricing, it’s certainly a place to try for students looking for a night out downtown.The eclectic menu offers food from burgers to ceviche but works best when offering simpler American fare to complement the more involved drinks. Tempura lobster tail and Saint Arnold’s battered asparagus both make an excellent case for more upscale deep-frying. The batters are light and neither dish is too oily, letting the earthy asparagus and buttery lobster’s character shine through the crunchy and salty coating. The sweet corn crab chowder is another particularly good appetizer, rounding out the hearty lumps of crabmeat and sweet body of pureed corn with just enough white pepper for a layered and decadent flavor. However, the more exotic selections tend to fall flat. The Peruvian ceviche has a heavy dose of orange juice in its briny marinade that masks the more subtle shredded mint and carrot chips, making for a disappointingly one-dimensional dish.The large plates follow the same pattern. The burgers, quesadillas and sandwiches are all consistently good while more involved plates like the chicken marsala are inconsistent, and at times, plain bad. Though the pan-fried chicken looks impressive served atop a heap of wilted spinach and mashed potatoes, the namesake sauce has a bitter burnt flavor that ruins the juicy chicken and buttery vegetables. Nevertheless, sandwiches like the Byrd, a gargantuan burger stacked with bacon, cheddar, mozzarella, jalapenos, avocado, onions and a fried egg, more than redeem the other entrees’ misfires. The sides of crispy rosemary parmesan fries and four-cheese mac n’ cheese add an extra incentive to play it safe and opt for a sandwich over the more expensive entrees. The cocktails, while a bit pricier, are the soul of the menu. Specials rotate nightly but creative standbys like the applewood bacon Manhattan and Flaming Leah are always available. Showmanship plays a big role in the serving of the drinks as everything from grapefruit peel to rosemary and cinnamon are lightly burned and served as garnishes to add intense aromas to the drinks. The Whiskey and Cigarettes, a scotch drink with a touch of mescal and Benedictine, makes especially good use of a flaming grapefruit garnish to add a breezy citrus aroma to the peaty drink. Though not as dazzling as the mixed drinks, the beer and wine lists are also impressive. The beer list not only offers standouts from St. Arnold’s and Karbach on draft but also has a few foreign selections worth trying like the excellent Trappist Chimay Triple. For wine, a number of interesting by-the-glass options like the fruity South African Chenin Blanc and rich Zuccardi Malbec are uncommonly good alternatives to the usual domestic wines.The small dessert menu looks like a bit of an afterthought in comparison to the food and drink menus. With standard offerings like New York cheesecake and bread pudding, the dishes are generally unremarkable. However, the domino cake, a chocolate cake with alternating layers of vanilla and chocolate mousse, is an exceptionally satisfying way to end a meal.Even if Hearsay’s clubby atmosphere and uneven cooking can be off-putting, the dishes they do best and the cocktails that they’ve made their name on have enough flavor and flair to mostly redeem them. It may not be for everybody, but the laid-back food and creative cocktails make Hearsay Lounge well worth a try for a Saturday night trip downtown.


NEWS 9/9/15 3:24pm

The deafening noise of college entertainment

This year I made the decision to live in a one-bedroom apartment — a choice that was significant not only because it meant I would be living off campus for the first time, but also because it meant I would be living alone. Don’t feel bad for me — I made this choice willingly and happily. I have plenty of close friends, enough funds to afford Rice housing and no mental or emotional problems. I just wanted there to be a single place in my life that was quiet, private and a meaningful distance away from the neuroticism of the “Rice bubble.” The summer before my senior year, everything went as I expected. Busy days teaching middle schoolers and hanging out with coworkers were punctuated with peaceful, quiet nights curled up on the couch by the television. Yet, when the school year started, things shifted radically. I would run myself ragged during the day between classes and club planning, and then, at night, I would feel a gnawing pressure to socialize. On the second or third night of class, I forced myself to go home before midnight to rest, but as soon as I came in the door, the silence was deafening and I felt myself start to panic. I couldn’t relax, I couldn’t watch television. I desperately needed to be with others, to the point where I texted my sleeping boyfriend nine times to try to get him to talk to me — something that embarasses me even now as I write it down.What changed between the summer and the school year? The answer is both simple and complex. There are hidden “rules” for how we entertain ourselves in college, shaped through culture, discourse and the constraints and opportunities presented by campus life. The more restraining rules can be broken; “you must drink to be cool” is one that is often felt but vehemently denied and which many break with no social consequence. Another, “the only people you may do social activities with are other Rice students” exerts a harder pressure, but understandably so due to the proximity of Rice students to each other. The rule that has the most influence on our free time and our choices for entertainment, however, is the following: “You must interact with your peers whenever you possibly can.” Let’s break this down. What this cultural rule essentially means is that as a Rice student, if you are faced with free time to do something non-academic or engage in an activity that is purely for entertainment, you are more likely than not to feel like you should be doing this activity with other students. You text your friends, “What’s going on tonight?” You go to the private or public party. You go see a movie with friends even if you aren’t interested in the plotline. There’s a similar pressure on people who are not at comparable universities, but I would argue that it’s far milder. In the “real world,” this pressure comes when you are feeling lonely or have not seen your friends in a while. At Rice, you feel it whenever you are not already committed to do something else — and sometimes, even if you are.Some pressure to engage in social forms of entertainment is healthy — strong relationships make life more enjoyable, and being with others can help us get outside of our own heads. Furthermore, some forms of entertainment (social drinking, going out to dinner, etc.) are just way more fun to do with other people. This is obvious. The problem is when the pressure is so intense that you become like me, heading back to your apartment exhausted and overstimulated, yet unable to enjoy anything without other people by your side. When you get to this point, which many people I know have, you have lost your freedom to create your life experience. You are now barred from choosing the entertainment you consume and enjoy; you are restricted to that which your peers choose and influenced by their opinions about it (whether you realize it or not). At some point, a component of your identity is morphed and lost — the part that is developed through active and private selection of what you are exposed to and how you feel about it. It’s the part of your identity that enjoys French films and has novel opinions about them; that has favorite quotes in books no one you know has read; that likes Garth Brooks even though none of your college friends can stand country. Losing this piece — the piece of you that consumes entertainment alone and forms opinions about entertainment and art in isolation, is beautiful and unique and a tragedy to lose.So, what can be done? Recognize that enjoying things alone is not less valuable than enjoying them with friends. Each has its place, and neither should be dismissed de facto. Furthermore, let anxiety in the face of isolation be a warning signal that rather than finding people, you need to be alone more; you need to remind yourself how to be entertained by your own choices and intellect. When the noise of college life is deafening, close the door, turn on your bedside lamp and read or watch or listen, for you.


NEWS 9/9/15 3:22pm

Senior studio cultivates innovation

There is no classroom on campus quite like Senior Studio. The room is divided into a maze of white walls, together forming each of the students’ studio spaces. The spaces are occupied with eclectic objects and media: photographs, couches, projections, a bicycle. Voices echo throughout the room as the senior art students and their professors discuss each project.In Senior Studio, a required class for all art majors, seniors work together, capping four years spent apart in specialized classes. Students get more freedom and more opportunities for collaboration, and their own spaces to curate as they please.Natasha Bowdoin, the professor for the course, said the course has two primary goals: first, to provide students with research practice that ultimately leads into their senior thesis exhibition, and second, to expose students to art through critical viewing and discussion.“Viewing exhibitions and listening to other artists speak about their work is a means to stimulate what happens inside the students’ own studios as well,” Bowdoin said. “[Senior Studio] is an important class because it gets closest to what it’s like to be an artist in the world making work.”Bowdoin said the class is also important because it encourages students to develop a more nuanced view of both art and life in general.“Another goal of mine ... is to help give these students, whatever their future careers, a lens through which to understand the world,” Bowdoin said. “An artistic perspective can sometimes be considered deliberately weird ... but in my opinion it can actually contribute to a clearer, deeper perception of the things and people around us.”Baker College senior Ashlyn Herd, a student currently taking the class, said Senior Studio requires students to take on a range of new responsibilities in showcasing their work.”“What is different is having so much control over our own spaces and ultimately having a show that we do all by ourselves,” Herd said. Another student in the class, Baker College senior Claire O’Malley, said her favorite part of the class is its emphasis on collaboration and the lack of highly specific requirements.“I’m going to learn a lot just by hearing people talking over their work,” O’Malley said. “It’s [also] new to have this amount of freedom.”Bowdoin said she tries to include projects throughout the course that allow students the freedom to experiment, but also provide enough guidance to generate growth.“Senior Studio in part is really about giving each student the time, space and encouragement to fully realize their own individual body of work,” Bowdoin said. “This requires time and space for a lot of student-driven activity, but I think also needs to be balanced with some prompts to help them along the way.”The class’s first assignment required the students to curate a studio space using found objects. Students interpreted the task in a variety of ways. Herd, for example, located pillows and cushions she felt a strong personal attachment toward and arranged them into a giant, three-dimensional quilt that she displayed on the wall. She said her focus is exploring new concepts, in terms of both medium and subject.“I want to develop myself in ways that I am less comfortable with,” Herd said. “The piece I did today plays with the idea of 2-D and 3-D and something that is familiar. The couch cushions are personal to me and unfamiliar to anyone else who looked at them.”O’Malley took a different route: She took pictures of spaces like the freezer and the medicine cabinet of the house she moved into this year, and blew them up into giant prints that she assembled on the walls of her space. The pictures show the spaces as they were when O’Malley first moved in, full of miscellaneous items the former tenants left behind, with the addition of small army men O’Malley arranged around them. She said she intended to explore the ways people live their lives within their constrained spaces.These senior students will continue to work throughout the year in preparation for their end of the year show in the spring, which will be open to all students and faculty.


OPINION 9/9/15 3:21pm

Raine: Rice must improve its urban integration

According to the latest Houston Area Survey by Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, the push for urbanism continues to grow in Houston; half of Harris County residents desire mixed-use development and 54 percent wish they could ride a bike more often. As Houston’s staggering growth turns in on itself and revitalizes the center of the city, open-minded residents are recognizing the benefits of truly cohesive, human-scaled neighborhoods — places that require no car to traverse and have the sort of dense urban environment Houston often lacks.Rice sits at the forefront of this sea change, bordered by the Texas Medical Center and Rice Village, some of the city’s most walkable areas, and grazed by the city’s first light-rail line. Still, despite its central position in Houston’s urban framework, our university actively retains a number of design choices rendering it as insulated as a suburban gated community — choices that, for the good of the school and city, we must push to change.While the core of Rice’s campus is one of the most pedestrian-friendly environments in Houston, its edges are poorly integrated with neighboring districts. The campus’ periphery secludes the school from the heavily trafficked areas bordering it. Still clinging to a rural aesthetic from the campus of the early 20th century, a scrappy line of hedges obscures visual and pedestrian access to campus from the outside. Tall brick walls and iron gates imply exclusivity, ultimately providing the outsider — the average Houstonian — few clear or welcoming entrances to one of the city’s most revered assets.The lack of integration with the TMC is particularly insulting; a chain-link fence and a golf cart parking lot occupy the southeast corner of campus, suggesting a complete lack of collaboration between Rice and the TMC despite their extensive integration. Ultimately, the entire Main Street corridor needs a dramatic revitalization.Rice can and should play a major role on its side of Main by replacing its thick vegetative border, parking and walls with wide, paved sidewalks and bike lanes, as well as improving pedestrian entrances to campus. Further cooperation with the city and the TMC could provide better pedestrian connections across Main Street, encourage retail development facing campus, attract bike rental (B-Cycle) racks and lead to the construction of a commemorative public plaza at University Boulevard and Main Street.Few land use choices are as unhealthy as the enormous West and Greenbriar parking lots, which consume over 30 acres of prime inner-city land across the western third of campus and relegate it to one of the least productive and ugliest uses. At over 60 years old, the lots are relics of a time when Rice sat at Houston’s suburban periphery. Nowadays, the administration recognizes the value of densification in neighboring urban districts, having bought real estate in the TMC and Rice Village, but its refusal to parallel this urbanization by consolidating campus parking into garages befuddles me. The western lots damage Rice’s integration with the city, as they separate the school from its namesake commercial district. Students seeking a trip westward must traverse an enormous swath of asphalt completely repulsive to pedestrians. Not one dedicated paved footpath connects Rice’s core to the Village, or even Rice Stadium.As prominent urban planners continue to argue against the toxic barrenness of surface parking, it’s time we consider reusing the lots more productively while meeting the aesthetic caliber of the rest of campus. Plazas and new buildings, like the upcoming opera house, would increase pedestrian activity on the western frontier, drawing students and Houstonians to athletic events at the stadium and the seemingly distant Village.Reformatting the edges of Rice for a 21st-century Houston is a long-term process that will require comprehensive planning and a unified vision. Access is the primary challenge — how can Rice integrate itself with the rest of Houston? It would be wise to look to our peers at the University of Texas, Austin, where students enjoy Complete Streets that attract pedestrians and bicyclists with high-quality sidewalks and dedicated bike lanes. These developments induce a vibrant street life that spills into adjacent neighborhoods.By providing these same amenities along its borders with Rice Village, Hermann Park and the TMC, Rice can help establish the framework for a cohesive urban environment in the heart of Houston. Removing expansive parking lots, hedges and fences opens the university to the city. After all, the college experience prizes collaboration and diversity — it’s about time our physical campus embraced that.Justin Raine is a Will Rice College sophomore


OPINION 9/9/15 3:20pm

Silva: Please heed the new open records policy

The choices we make here at Rice will have a direct effect on life after we graduate. Usually this is a positive and beneficial truth. The relationships built at Rice will outlast the four years we spend as an undergraduate. Our academic and extracurricular achievements will push us forward in our careers. Now, for some of us, even our mistakes will impact life after graduation. As of Sept. 1, police records of private institutions were made open to the public. In light of this, it’s time to have a more serious conversation about personal responsibility.


OPINION 9/9/15 3:19pm

Open record laws can give valuable information, create safer campus

Due to a new Texas state law, Rice University Police Department will now be subject to open records requests (see p. 1) for information on their policing activity, which includes correspondences, activity logs and other documents. This requirement marks a continuation toward increased transparency in RUPD, following the introduction of body cameras to its officers in April (see “RUPD implements body cameras” in the Sept. 2 issue of the Thresher). The passage of this law is an important development for all Houston media, particularly Rice student media. We will now be able to more thoroughly investigate RUPD’s policing when complex situations requiring civilian oversight of police arise. For instance, open records requests would have been useful when we were reporting on the controversial RUPD bike theft incident that occurred in August 2013, in which officers hit a man over 30 times with a baton in an attempt to subdue him for arrest. According to a March 17 article in the Houston Chronicle (“Bill would make private university reports public”), requests made by the media organization KPRC for information on the incident were not honored. Following the passage of this bill, Rice must be subject to the same requirements of transparency as all other officers of the state. Considering RUPD polices areas just outside campus and often arrests individuals who are not affiliated with Rice, as in the case of the bike theft, this ruling affects not only the “Rice bubble” but also the local Houston community. This should not be seen as an occasion for fear or panic among the student body regarding the effects of disclosing police records on future educational or career endeavors. Although one’s slate may now only be hidden as opposed to wiped clean, there is little reason for future employers to seek out one’s record through the Open Records Act. Public institutions of higher education have been subject to this law for decades and this has not been a pressing issue for their students. Additionally, no information that violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act will be made public. Information on particularly sensitive topics such as sexual assault, suicide and mental health, as well as juvenile records, will continue to be kept private. From the exemptions of these topics, it is clear that this change is not intended to compromise students’ right to privacy and confidentiality but to create a more safe and equitable campus.  Just as with RUPD’s implementation of body cameras, this situation presents an opportunity for Rice students to become more aware of their policing rights, and moreover, to engage within their community. We are uniquely privileged to have access to a full-fledged police force that serves only a few thousand people, providing focused and expedited policing. We have a responsibility to educate ourselves on how to proceed with placing an open records request, both in order to be engaged within our community and to be better equipped in addressing situations involving student judicial proceedings.


NEWS 9/9/15 3:16pm

Recent Texas law requires RUPD to make police records public

Rice University Police Department is required to make all records related to law enforcement activities available to the public upon request according to Texas Senate Bill 308, as of Sept. 1, 2015. The Texas Public Information Act, which holds public institutions to these same requirements, has been in effect since Sept. 1, 1993 according to General Counsel Vice President Richard Zansitis.“Private universities in Texas are permitted by state law to have police departments with officers commissioned under state law,” Zansitis said. “However, in the past, the attorney general of Texas ruled that since the private universities themselves were not governmental bodies, their police departments were not subject to the PIA.”Texas Senator Rodney Ellis coauthored S.B. 308 to make the standard of openness the same for public and private institutions, Ellis said.“I signed on as a coauthor to Senator Whitmire’s bill because transparency and accountability are important factors for any entity with policing powers,” Ellis said. “If an entity has the ability to detain and use force on the public, they should have to be transparent about how they are using their police powers.”Now, individuals can apply to see police records related to a case, regardless of whether or not they have direct involvement in the incident, according to RUPD Chief Johnny Whitehead.“Once we get a request, we have to look at the request and make a determination of whether or not it’s subject to open records,” Whitehead said. “Each time these come in, we’ll have to do a certain amount of research. We may have to rely on consultation from the general counsel and in some cases ask the attorney general’s office for a ruling.”Because of these new procedures and rules, RUPD will have to do more work to do its job correctly, RUPD Captain Clemente Rodriguez said.“There’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve, [since] we’ve never been subject to open records before,” Rodriguez said. “So when the request comes in, we’re going to probably have to pay a little more attention to make sure we’re complying with the law.”The bill has positive effects too, according to Rodriguez.“It means that people will continue to have confidence with us,” Rodriguez said. “We’re going to comply with everything that’s required. We’re doing what’s in the best interest of the community.”Whitehead said RUPD has prepared extensively for the law.“We’ve worked very diligently to be ready for when the law went into effect, in establishing the website, designating the [Public Information Officer], training everybody [and] making members of the campus community aware of the new law,” Whitehead said. “We’re ready.”


NEWS 9/9/15 3:15pm

Code of Conduct limits college Backpages

Student Judicial Programs released an updated version of the Code of Student Conduct to its website on Aug. 20. The majority of the changes to the Code, which was last updated in late January, removed redundancies and clarified language. According to Lovett College President Griffin Thomas, one major update to the definition of public disclosure of private information has led to some confusion over the legality of the Lovett Backpage, a publication with college government minutes and anonymous gossip regarding members of the college.The added section on public disclosure of private information explicitly prohibits official and quasi-official publications from publishing private information without a legitimate university interest. However, the Code does not specify what constitutes private information.“Examples of forums in which this type of violation can occur are: college government’s minutes, college social media sites, and publications of colleges, university-affiliated organizations, teams and clubs,” the Code reads. “Responsibility for any alleged violation may apply to the individual, the college, the organization, team or club, and/or the officers.”Thomas, a junior, said SJP Director Lisa Zollner and Associate Dean of Undergraduates Don Ostdiek contacted Lovett College in March to collect all copies of the Backpage that were on file for an investigation led by the general counsel’s office. “Past Lovett secretaries four or five years ago chose to highlight hookups on the Backpage, whereas the current secretaries choose to use the Backpage to share funny and often drunken shenanigans from the prior weekend,” Thomas said. “After Sid [Richardson College] was sued for the grotesque nature of their Backpage in the early 2000s, Lovett has chosen to keep a tighter rein on its Backpage.”According to Thomas, Lovett has had a few complaints about its Backpage in the past, but to his knowledge recent complaints have been resolved in a timely and ultimately satisfactory manner internal to the college. Thomas said the new Code won’t affect the Backpage because the current secretaries will not repeat mistakes from years prior. However, he said the secretaries and colleges in general are afraid to publish anything that may be seen as offensive because of the vague nature of the wording in the Code.“When pushed for clarification on the rules, SJP and Dean [of Undergraduates John] Hutchinson responded that they are purposefully vague in order to allow students to develop ‘good judgment,’” Thomas said. “However, when the resulting punishment is also undefined and could be anywhere from a warning to the rustication of college officers, then this uncertainty causes panic … In a process that is becoming increasingly more common, the administration decided to proceed in a unilateral manner without seeking student input and then was surprised when students responded negatively.”Lovett College Secretary Rahul Kothari, who works with junior Darcy Curtis, said the Backpage has changed since its inception years ago.“[Curtis] and I made it our goal this year to make the Backpage into something that brings the Lovett community together over comedy and satire, instead of tearing it apart by publishing people’s personal and private information,” Kothari, a junior, said. “I don’t think we’ll run into any problems with SJP’s new Student Code of Conduct.”The new version of the Code also clarifies college masters’ authority to rusticate their students, both socially and from the college. The masters may also ban members of another college from the location and activities of the master’s college. SJP may add further prohibitions or prescriptions to the student’s rustication parameters.“A Master’s Rustication does not prohibit investigation, charges or sanctions by SJP even if the investigation arises from the same behavior that gave rise to the Master’s Rustication,” the Code states. “In that case, if SJP finds the student ‘in violation’ of the Code, SJP may take the rustication or ban into consideration when determining appropriate sanctions.” Language in the document clarifies that SJP sanctions similar to those of rustication are not, semantically, rustications, as only masters may rusticate students. SJP sanctions similar to rustication are described as a disciplinary loss of privileges.Other changes include a new section regarding student rights within SJP proceedings intending to increase transparency, although all the rights listed were already valid and provided to students in the discipline process. The language under the Records section has been corrected to state that violations are not noted on transcripts, but are held on record for 10 years after graduation, not 10 years after the resolution of the incident. 


NEWS 9/9/15 3:13pm

O-Week sees increase in voter registration

The 2015 Rice Vote Coalition garnered over twice as many registered student voters as last year. Between first-year students and returning advisors, 362 new voters were registered during Orientation Week.According to University Relations and Welcome Center Assistant Director Mary Lowery, the change is quite visible in the student body.“I’m actually there on site when we’re doing voter registration,” Lowery said. “We generally have some time to chat with people as they’re coming through, and it was my impression that we had a lot more questions about the differences between voting here on campus and voting in their home state.” Outside of the new students, Lowery also noticed new enthusiasm in the voter liaisons and advisors aiding in registration. “I noticed that the liaisons this year were really excited about the process, and I think that really translates to more incoming students registering,” Lowery said.Martel College junior Neethi Nayak was one of her college’s voter liaisons during O-Week. Nayak said she wanted to take a typically dry topic and present it in an upbeat way to help new students gain political awareness.“We knew that in order to get new students at our college more excited about the importance of voter registration, we had to take a more creative approach,” Nayak said. “Turns out rapping about civic engagement in the middle of the commons was a great way to do just that!”The trend of voter enthusiasm has continued outside of registration, as the RVC has been contacted to organize an event with the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business.Chairman of the College Republicans Sam Herrera attributes expanding voter interest to the upcoming presidential election.“The political arena is definitely heating up,” Herrera said. “We have a lot of new students that come from different states, and I suppose they’re excited to vote and participate in the election next year.”According to Herrera, the College Republicans have noted an increase in interest this year. “We have 62 members and at the Student Activity Fair last week we gauged around 70 people who expressed interest in joining,” Herrera said. “We have set a goal of going to over 100 and I think that’s totally feasible.”One of the main roles of the RVC is to aid Harris County in setting up a polling location on campus which is important for increasing voter turnout, according to Herrera.“I think it’s fantastic; it’s obviously very accessible,” Herrera said. “It’s a Tuesday, people are in class and they don’t have time to go somewhere significantly off campus.” Madeleine Tibaldi, vice president of Rice Democrats, said new students’ interest in politics is evident in both club recruitment and voter registration.“This year our organization received a lot of interest from new students wanting to get involved in politics on campus, and we are thrilled to see this trend mirrored in the spike in voter registration,” Tibaldi, a Jones College senior, said. Tibaldi said the organization also hopes for students’ political participation on multiple levels, which is why they are planning a meet-the-candidates panel for the upcoming Houston mayoral elections.“Perhaps the rhetoric and excitement surrounding the 2016 presidential election is increasing students’ desire to become politically active, but we also hope to see an increase [in] the number of students voting in state and local elections,” Tibaldi said. Lowery said registering to vote on time is important for students to keep in mind.“Registering keeps your options open,” Lowery said. “If something interesting happens in a race between when the deadline closes for registering and the actual race … there’s not a lot you can do.” 


NEWS 9/9/15 3:12pm

Rice Indo-American Business Club to connect alumni, business owners, students across Houston

The Rice Indo-American Business Club launched at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business on Sept. 2. According to RIABC Vice President Nishanth Babu, the club serves as a platform for Houston Indo-Americans and Rice alumni to meet, learn from each other and network. “This organization really does the two things we’ve been trying to put a lot of emphasis on,” President David Leebron, the opening speaker, said. “One is connect to the local Indo-American business community, and ... create opportunities internationally to connect to India. Ultimately, that will provide more opportunities for students.”According to Babu, about 140 Indo-Americans from across Houston met for the inaugural event. Babu said the board of the RIABC did not envision the event to be as large as it ended up being, and they had initially planned for a small inaugural event with around 25 people. “When we started reaching out to alumni, they were very passionate about it,” Babu said. “It was that passion and we were impressed that if everyone else was thinking that [the event is] worth something, then let’s do it.”The program featured speeches from Prashant Kale, associate professor of strategic management at the Jones School, and Parvathaneni Harish, consul general of India in Houston. Kale said he encouraged a view of India as a disruptive innovator, driven by the needs of its people to create products that are improvements on those in American markets.Martel College senior Komal Agarwal is currently the only undergraduate involved with the club. All other members are Rice MBA students.“This club has a lot to offer for undergraduates involved with the club at the moment,” Agarwal said. “Ultimately, this club is about promoting ideas across a diverse community. The Rice community and the Greater Houston population are such a diverse population that learning how to communicate with people of various backgrounds is essential to everyone.”Ashok Rao, an entrepreneur who will serve as a long-term associate of the club, is on the Council of Overseers of the Jones School. Rao was the first Indo-American to take a company public on NASDAQ and has founded, grown and traded several companies since founding Midcom Communications in 1990. Rao spoke about the Indian diaspora and how American immigration policies resulted in Indo-Americans consisting of mainly highly skilled workers. Rao said he believed students would get as much out of the club as they were willing to put in.“It’s a terrific idea ... long overdue,” Rao said. “[RIABC] will connect students to the Indian community here, and into the business community, so it will help them with potential employment and assimilation into the milieu.”Hanszen College junior Sai Chilakapati said  his interest in combined M.D./MBA programs drove him to attend though he is pursuing medicine.“As an undergraduate, I think it’s a great opportunity to come to these networking events and get to know businesspeople in the community as well as more of the graduate population,” Chilakapati said.Babu said he hopes to have more input from undergraduates as the club grows and even hopes to see them on the board of the organization. RIABC President Himanshu Upadhyaya voiced similar opinions, and both said they see the future of the club as largely flexible in nature.“We encourage all undergraduates to join this club,” Upadhyaya said. “There’s plenty of opportunities for mentorship [and] networking. We plan on keeping our regular meetings so anyone can come participate and volunteer.”For more information or to get involved in RIABC, contact Nivriti Chowdhry at nivi@rice.edu.


NEWS 9/9/15 3:11pm

Former MD Anderson president discusses clinical cancer research

John Mendelsohn, M.D., a distinguished cancer researcher, spoke at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy’s Center for Health and Biosciences on Sept. 2 about his professional journey and the future of cancer treatment.Mendelsohn is an L.E. and Virginia Simmons Fellow in Health and Technology Policy at the Baker Institute. After previously serving as president of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Mendelsohn currently sits as the director of the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy at MD Anderson.The institute focuses on preclinical research and clinical trials in order to employ personalized cancer therapy and optimize patient outcomes, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center’s website.Mendelsohn went to University of California, San Diego where he founded a National Cancer Institute designated cancer center. There, Mendelsohn and Dr. Gordon Sato eventually succeeded in targeting and suppressing specific tumors through the production of a certain antibody.Targeted cancer therapy is the focus at the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy.“Precision, or personalized, cancer treatment involves taking advantage of all information available about the patient and his or her cancer in order to prescribe treatments most likely to succeed in achieving a cure or substantial prolongation of life,” Mendelsohn said. The goals of the Institute emphasize improved prognoses for cancer patients and education for doctors and patients.“We now know most of the genetic abnormalities that cause cancer and can detect biomarkers in an individual’s cancer in a reasonable time frame for a reasonable cost, about the same amount as two MRI scans,” Mendelsohn explained. “Clinical trials using this approach have been successful, showing that for prolongation of life, targeted treatment is better than randomly assigned.”This type of therapy affords a potential opportunity to cure the incurable, according to Mendelsohn. “If standard therapy, surgery, radiation and chemo are not producing a cure, we wanted to be able to screen genes, develop clinical trials to bring therapy to these patients, and provide decision support to help physicians and patients,” Mendelsohn said.Mendelsohn said it is clear from the data that this personalized therapy is working overall, but there is still much to learn.“We need more trials with combinations of therapies,” Mendelsohn said. “We need to work with multiple drug companies, handle toxicities, understand sensitivity and resistance better. We need a vast knowledge network to create a research computational platform.”According to Mendelsohn, the work of the Sheikh Khalifa Institute is changing the way cancer is treated, while showing pharmaceutical companies that the modern way to fight cancer is not necessarily what they expected.“Once we have shown that something works, it goes into the standard of practice and any doctor and any patient can benefit from that,” Mendelsohn said. “The [pharmaceutical] companies dream of drugs that work against all types of one cancer, but there won’t be one. The companies are retooling and making sense of the fact that there won’t be a ‘blockbuster’ drug.”Jones College sophomore Alina Mohanty decided to attend Mendelsohn’s talk, which was entitled “Precision Medicine: Past, Present, and Future,” after learning of all he had accomplished.“I was drawn by Dr. Mendelsohn’s positions and achievements,” Mohanty said. “I figured if he had accomplished so much, he would definitely have something to say that I could learn from.”Mohanty enjoyed the talk due to Mendelsohn’s incorporation of medicine, science and policy.“Dr. Mendelsohn’s talk was exciting and informative,” Mohanty said. “While the lecture was very scientific, he explained step-by-step how he came about producing Erbitux. Not only did we learn about cancers and cancer treatment, but also we learned about the experiences of a successful physician and his views on policy that should be implemented in his field of medicine. It was altogether a very well-rounded talk.”


NEWS 9/9/15 3:09pm

Rice pilots Canvas as alternative to Owlspace

Rice University is testing a new learning management system, Canvas, in 15 pilot courses involving 16 instructors and nearly 1,000 students, according to Director of Informational Technology and Access Services Diane Butler. Canvas could potentially replace Owlspace as the primary platform for learning management.“We are targeting faculty who use it in different ways,” Butler said. “Some use a lot of quizzes and tests. Some do more interactions and collaboration. We have [surveyed] across the board from large to small classes just to get a good idea.”The university is moving away from the open source Owlspace system currently in use to a vendor-supplied learning management system. Rice staff currently run the server that hosts Owlspace and maintain the service, while an independent vendor manages services for Canvas. “Owlspace is more than 10 years old,” Butler said. “Most of the [information technology] department is trying to move to cloud-based services. IT has posted a job, instructional designer ... to help faculty design courses [online] other than just putting a syllabus out there.”Butler said the pilot courses this semester test the possibility of moving web-based courses such as Computational Thinking (COMP 140) to Canvas without losing their current features. According to Scott Rixner, professor of computer science and the instructor of COMP 140, Canvas is significantly better than Owlspace because it allows instructors to release online material in parts in a way similar to Coursera, an online service previously used to teach COMP 140. “The biggest thing Canvas does is that it helps me to organize the material in a logical way and release it in stages,” Rixner said. According to Rixner, Canvas better meets the needs of on-campus teaching than Coursera by incorporating grades by teaching assistants.“[Canvas] is not as automated and as hands-off as Coursera is,” Rixner said. “Coursera expects you to never have a human grade anything. This causes problems for on-campus classes, when you do have TAs grading. So Canvas has facilities that have things that are automatically graded by machine and also allow you to grade things with TA. Canvas, in that sense, is better than Coursera.”Three courses in the summer session were the first pilot courses for Canvas. A working group consisting of representatives from Fondren Library, the Office of Digital Education and the Office of Information Technology has surveyed the classes’ students on their experiences. They will conduct further assessments on Canvas in the coming school year, according to Butler. “We did a pre-survey and we are going to do a post-survey,” Butler said. “In the middle, we are doing one-on-one assessments, some with students and with all the faculty who were teaching. [The assessments will] identify and help us move on to the next step.”Isabella Yang, a student in Biomedical Instrumentation Lab (BIOE 385), a pilot course for Canvas, said Canvas attempted to combine Owlspace and Piazza, an online course forum for discussion, but failed to integrate them efficiently. “There are options for Discussions, Conferences and Chat,” Yang, a McMurtry College junior, said. “Aren’t they necessarily the same?”Rixner said he agrees Canvas has redundant functions that might add to students’ confusion. “There is a lot of redundancy, but the instructor has the ability to pick and choose which ones you want to use for your course,” Rixner said.Steve An, a student in General Chemistry I (CHEM 121), another pilot course on Canvas, said Canvas is currently too rigid in the answers it accepts, which results in faulty grading. “Our answers have to be extremely specific,” An, a Martel College freshman, said. “My friend got points off because she put ‘grams’ instead of ‘g.’ Although she can tell the TAs and get the points back, we should not [have to] go through this extra process.”


NEWS 9/9/15 3:07pm

Alum recounts experience at Rice and NASA

Rice alumnus and NASA engineer Jerry Woodfill (Wiess ’65) discussed his time at Rice University and his experience as the Warning Systems Engineer during the Apollo 13 mission at a presentation on Sept. 3. The presentation was the first of this year’s Houston Spaceport Frontier Lectures series hosted at Rice.Woodfill attended Rice on a basketball scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He said that although he struggled significantly in college, he firmly believes that his failures are a key piece of his later success at NASA.“I had a dismal career at Rice,” Woodfill said. “Not only was I a failure at athletics, academically I was not doing any better … I had the lowest grade ever made in MATH 300 at Rice. I was ready to quit, believe me. I was doing just desperately badly.”During his junior year, Woodfill said he was inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “We choose to go to the Moon” speech made at the Rice stadium.“It was so life changing for me,” Woodfill said. “It was that catalyst in my life that turned things around.”Woodfill graduated after his fifth year at Rice and began working at NASA. He was among the hundreds of staff at the NASA Mission Control Center during the Apollo 13 mission that began on April 11, 1970, according to the NASA Mission Summary.“We have Nobel Prize winners and famous athletes … but look what happened,” Woodfill said at the lecture. “It took 50 years! 50 years! I am now a notable alumni! Don’t give up! You can’t have been struggling with anything for a half-century like I did.” Woodfill was among those who shared the Presidential Medal of Freedom for the Apollo 13 Mission Team and continued to work at NASA for over 45 years afterwards. On the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, Universe Today released his book “13 Things that Saved Apollo 13.”Woodfill said he travels frequently for scholastic talks focused on his time at NASA and his book. The lectures aim to provide an engaging educational experience for both students and the general public on a range of issues pertaining to exploration and development of space, according to the Space Frontiers website.David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute and professor of physics and astronomy, is the organizer of the event. “I’ve helped put these lectures together,” Alexander said. “We’ve got a good season going. We have a couple different kinds of lectures that are not just Spaceport lectures this fall. I’m lining up the program for the spring.”Alexander said he is trying to allow broader access to the programs. The lecture on Thursday was live streamed online from Rice to the University of Hawaii.“Streaming is free,” Alexander said. “I’d like to get these lectures well received in Houston and to get broader access to them … It would be great to get them around the country.”Future lectures in the series will be on Oct. 22, Nov. 19 and Jan. 14. Details can be found at the Houston Spaceport Frontiers website, spacefrontiers.rice.edu.



NEWS 9/1/15 2:35pm

New mobile app provides rewards for Rice sports fans

Rice University Athletics recently launched a student rewards app, allowing students to check in when they attend certain sporting events to gain virtual rewards.Rice Athletics Director of Marketing Vaughan Moss led the initiative, which officially launched  at the Orientation Week Rice Rally. According to Moss, the new system is designed to increase spirit in the student body.“We are always looking for creative, new ways to engage students with athletics,” Moss said. “The app makes natural sense because everyone in the age group is always on their phones and always so connected.”The app was created with the help of the Rice Rally Club, a group dedicated to the promotion of overall school spirit on campus, according to Moss. The club, which reformed last year after a period of inactivity, presented Moss with the idea of a rewards system.“We thought the concept was a great one and I knew of a company, FanMaker, that made apps for this purpose,” Moss said. “Companies approach us all the time trying to sell ideas like this but FanMaker ended up being the one that had the best user interface and fit our budget.”Moss said the app boasts features such as the ability to send out mass messages to fans and a technology feature called Beacon, which detects fan location by connecting with their phones and Bluetooth devices. Moss said the GPS technology can recognize when you are in a certain athletic venue on campus.According to Moss, fans using the app will accrue points that then earn them points for prizes. Points can be earned by attending sporting events and by promoting Rice Athletics through social media. According to Moss, attending any sporting event on campus is 125 points. Connecting to social media, liking Rice’s football and basketball Facebook pages as well as retweeting Rice Athletics on Twitter will also earn points.Rewards will range from merchandise from Rice’s official athletic sponsor Adidas to gift cards from local sponsors such as Buffalo Wild Wings, according to Moss.Moss said he hopes the app will be especially effective in increasing attendance in sports that are working on building excitement and support.“The [men’s] basketball team, for example, is currently undergoing rebuilding under Coach [Mike] Rhoades and would really benefit from the support of the student body,” Moss said. “Hopefully they have such a great time coming to a game that they come back again and again.”Captain of the Rice Owls dance team May Zhong said the app could function as an equalizer of school spirit among different sports.“The dance team performs at a lot of different sporting events and I definitely got the sense that not every game got the same level of support and school spirit,” Zhong, a Baker College sophomore, said.Baker College freshman Matthew Ringheanu said he downloaded the app as soon as it was introduced at the O-Week Rally.“I haven’t been here very long but from what I’ve gauged so far, I think Rice is a very spirited school and has a great sense of family,” Ringheanu said. “This app would definitely help increase that sense of family.”The Rice Owls Rewards app is available on both the Apple Store and Google Play.


SPORTS 9/1/15 2:35pm

Defense looks to rebuild in 2015 season

“Get the ball out! Get the ball out!” one can hear Defensive Coordinator Chris Thurmond yelling at his defense during practices. Since Thurmond took over as defensive coordinator in 2012, turnovers and energy have been the hallmark of a defensive mentality that has steadily been implemented in his four years at Rice, a strategy the team hopes will lead to success in 2015.The team will run a multiple defense, meaning the defense will change its formation based on its opponent. According to Thurmond, the defensive strategy will allow the defense to read and adapt to different offenses.“We have the ability to change up depending on whoever we play and what their tendencies are,” Thurmond said.The 2015 defense is returning four of 11 starters from the 2014 team. The lack of experience on the defense may concern some, but according to redshirt junior linebacker Alex Lyons, the defense is determined to make a name for itself in 2015.“We’re young, but we’re talented and we’re very hungry, and I think we’re going to put on a show,” Lyons said.The Owls will have a young defense in 2015, particularly in the secondary. While the team lost considerable leadership and talent in the form of defensive tackle Christian Covington, defensive end Brian Nordstrom and cornerback Bryce Callahan this past season, several pillars remain. Lyons, the team’s leading tackler in 2014 with 71, will be returning to lead the linebacking core. On the defensive line, redshirt sophomore Graysen Schantz is joined by fellow redshirt sophomore Brian Womac and redshirt senior Stuart Mouchantaf, both of whom are returning from injuries. In the secondary, senior Ryan Pollard, the team’s top cornerback heading into 2015, is also coming back for his final season. With the returning talent, Lyons said coaches and returning players are not concerned. “We have a lot of great athletes on the back end who can play the ball, and up front we’re experienced and can beat people up,” Lyons said. “So [we can] get the ball out, get a couple ducks and get a lot of turnovers this year.”Head Coach David Bailiff is also confident in his 2015 team, despite the losses sustained. In particular, the coaching staff knew during the 2014 season they would lose seniors in the secondary. According to Bailiff, they were prepared for these losses and are confident in their ability to hold up against the pass.“We spent a lot of time getting young guys some playing time last year, since we knew we’d be hit hard by graduation,” Bailiff said. “We’ve got guys like Ryan Pollard and [redshirt junior] J.T. Blasingame that have played well in practice, and [sophomore] V.J. Banks got some playing time last year. It’s a young secondary, and a young team, but we have a lot of depth.”While they were happy with their performance in a 30-7 victory in the Hawai’i Bowl over Fresno State University that concluded the 2014 season, the team has been motivated this offseason by their performance in the game prior. Heading into the season finale with a 7-4 overall record and a 5-2 record within Conference USA, Rice faced off against Louisiana Tech University with a berth in the C-USA title game on the line. The Owls, however, were unable to pull it out. They were outgained in total yardage 677-371 while also committing four turnovers, resulting in a 76-31 loss.Bailiff said the loss pushed the players to redeem themselves in the bowl game, and has even provided continuing motivation going into this season.“I think you saw in the bowl game how motivated our guys were, how prepared we were for that game and how well we played,” Bailiff said. “That loss has definitely kept us energized heading into this season. Every year we want to win conference, we want to be a top 25 team. And we think we can do that this season.”Lyons and the defense was similarly motivated by the loss.“It’s extremely motivating during workouts when we’re out here in 100-degree weather,” Lyons said. “We had a power outage in our weight room and we were still working out. There’s nothing more motivating when you see that clip and the highlights of that clip. You never want that to happen.”Given the Owls’ 2015 opponents, one thing is certain: The defense will be tested. They will face off against the University of Texas, Austin and Baylor University this season, two schools that have consistently sent top-tier talent to the National Football League in recent years. Within C-USA, two opponents in particular stand out: Louisiana Tech, who will be quarterbacked by former Florida Gator Jeff Driskel, and Western Kentucky, a team led by 2014 C-USA MVP quarterback Brandon Doughty. Though these prolific offenses are on the schedule, Lyons said the defense is up to the task.“A lot of people are questioning the defense because we’re going to be pretty young,” Lyons said. “Anybody who has questions can come see for themselves, sit back and enjoy the show.”The season commences Sept. 5 at 2:30 p.m. in a home matchup against the Wagner Seahawks.


SPORTS 9/1/15 2:34pm

Volleyball takes two of three in tournament

Rice volleyball opened its 2015 season with a trip to Austin, Texas for the American Campus Classic this weekend. The Owls began the tournament with a 0-3 loss against the nationally ranked No. 3 University of Texas, Austin on Friday afternoon. On Saturday, Rice made a dramatic comeback against Louisiana State University following a 2-0 deficit and completed the tournament with a 3-1 win against University of California, Irvine.Junior libero Kimberly Vaio said she attributes Friday’s loss to the team’s anxiety.“First matches typically are not the cleanest; we went into UT and the first set environment and the nerves got to us,” Vaio said. “We were missing serves, the passes weren’t crisp and we were making errors at the wrong times.”Rice struggled on offense during their match against UT. The Owls trailed behind the Longhorns, hitting only .067 compared to UT’s .333. According to Head Coach Genny Volpe, Rice was unable to compete against Texas’ consistent offense.“They had firepower coming from all directions and a great setter who ran a very balanced offense,” Volpe said. “We had trouble defending this and, more importantly, had a hard time getting our offense going due to their tough serving.”Despite the loss, Vaio said the match against UT prepared the Owls to face LSU.“Though we lost, we knew we had things to work out and we knew that our best volleyball was yet to come,” Vaio said. “It made us that much more motivated for LSU.”Following Friday’s loss, Rice rallied back Saturday morning and beat LSU after overcoming a 2-0 deficit. According to Vaio, the Owls were frustrated after the first two games against LSU and every member of the team was committed to rallying back and winning the match. “We all knew that we were the better team and we were tired of giving them the game, so we looked at each other and we made a commitment that we were going to win the next three games,” Vaio said. “Each one of us knew that there was no other option than winning and we were ready to do everything it took to pull it off.”The last time the Owls beat the Tigers was Nov. 27, 2009, and Rice’s all-time record against LSU is a mere 3-19. Volpe said she attributes the surprising victory to mental toughness.“This team is certainly showing that they are resilient and that they are mentally tough,” Volpe said. “It takes that level of mental toughness to come back and win against a solid program, after losing five straight sets in a row.”Rice completed the weekend with a 3-1 win against UC Irvine and finished second in their opening tournament. Vaio said she was proud of her team’s performance and improvements from past seasons. “I am really proud of the team for our performance this weekend,” Vaio said. “It’s tough to bounce back from a loss right away,but we proved that we have the mindset to do it. Also,for the past three years we have struggled winning fifth games and we proved right off the bat that even if we are down by two games, we have what it takes to finish.”According to Volpe, the Owls need to improve on their consistency and execution on offense.“We need to improve our consistency,” Volpe said. “We were up and down all weekend which made us less efficient. We will continue to work on this and keep pressing the envelope in what we can do offensively.” The Owls will next play at Yale University on Sept. 4, where they will face off against University of California, Santa Barbara.