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NEWS 2/10/14 6:00pm

Men's basketball defeats North Texas

By Dan Elledge

The Rice University men's basketball team showed some positive results at Tudor Fieldhouse over the weekend with a 75-70 win against the University of North Texas on Thursday, Feb. 6. Rice missed its chance to complete the sweep at home, falling 66-56 to the University Tulsa on Saturday, Feb. 8. Rice is now 7-16 overall with a 2-8 record in Conference USA. The Owls only have one game this week, heading on the road to play at Louisiana Tech University on Saturday, Feb. 15 in Ruston, La.Head Coach Ben Braun said the Owls played their best half of the season against the Mean Green. He was appreciative of their effort both offensively and defensively. He said this consistency is needed the rest of the season in order to pile up more wins."It was a great win for our team," Braun said. "We got off to a great start, one of the best starts for the season both offensively and defensively .... Our team carried us through and made some big plays in the second half. [Freshman forward Sean Obi] brought us energy off of the bench. It was a good team effort for our team to play against North Texas and get the win."With only one game this week, Rice is focusing on its conditioning in practice. Braun said it is important to be fit for the entire 40 minutes since games can come down to the last few possessions and learning to make free throws at the end is crucial for success."Conditioning is important," Braun said. "Most of the time, you are shooting free throws when you are tired. That's going to be our challenge. [We need to] keep our guys conditioned when competing. We want to throw some adversity during practice so they have that feeling of playing through fatigue in crunch time."Sophomore guard Max Guercy said the team needs to make sure their bodies are in the best shape at this point in the season. Guercy said it is important for the players to get enough rest."We obviously have to stay in shape," Guercy said. "We know with this part of the season we need to rest and take care of our bodies."Louisiana Tech is near the top of the C-USA standings, with a 20-5 overall record and a 8-2 record in C-USA play. Guercy said the team has to translate their positive results at home to the hostile road environment. If the team can hit on all cylinders, it can put out an upset, Guercy said."I think we have to stay focused," Guercy said. "We are doing a good job at home. With the crowd, it helps. For [Louisiana Tech] this weekend, they are obviously a great team and one of the best in the conference. We need to do what we did here and transition to [Louisiana Tech] on Saturday."Braun said the game against Louisiana Tech will be a difficult matchup. He said the Owls have to be ready for their aggressive style of play and their loud, home crowd. If the players can handle that, a win is not out of the question, Braun said."[Louisiana Tech] is going to be a challenge for us especially at their place," Braun said. "They play outstanding basketball at home. They will pressure and are athletic. We will see how the year plays out, but they could be the top team in our league. It's going to be a [major] challenge for our team."

NEWS 2/10/14 6:00pm

Men's tennis struggles on the road in Illinois

By Luke Samora

The men's tennis team continued their road trip by visiting Evanston, Ill. to face Northwestern University and Cornell University. On Friday, Feb. 7, the Owls lost 4-0 to Northwestern while on Saturday, Feb. 8, the Owls lost to Cornell 6-1. The Owls have a two-week break ahead of them and will not play another match until they take on the University of Louisiana, Lafayette on Sunday, Feb. 23 at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium. Head Coach Efe Ustundag said it is always hard to play on the road on consecutive weekends."Playing on the road back-to-back is always challenging," Ustundag said. "[However], there was no crowd noise this week that could have impacted our players' performances."Ustundag said that while the team had some great individual performances, they were not enough to keep the Owls from losing both matches."What happened this past weekend was slightly similar to the weekend before," Ustundag said. "We had some great performances by a few of our players, but there were not enough of them to change the outcome of either game."Ustundag said he is looking forward to the two-week break in hopes of preparing the team for the rest of its matches."This two-week break is much needed," Ustundag said. "We lost four matches in a row to nationally ranked teams, and we feel like we could have won a couple of them. We have to find ways to improve our mental toughness and make less unforced errors in key games. Two weeks of good, hard practices will shape the rest of the season." Sophomore Adam Gustafsson provided the Owls with their only point of the weekend, winning 6-2, 6-5 against Jason Luu of Cornell. Sophomore Tommy Bennett also had a one-set lead over Sam Shropshire in the Northwestern match before the Wildcats sealed the victory.Freshman Zack Yablon said this weekend did not help the team mentally, especially after having lost both of its matches the weekend before against Mississippi State University and Texas Tech University."I think this weekend was a bit demoralizing for us, especially since we had played nationally ranked teams in the past closely," Yablon said. "It just seemed like a step in the wrong direction for us."Yablon said it will take even more work to finally get a satisfying victory against a highly ranked opponent."We just have to keep working harder at everything," Yablon said. "Both the coaches and players need to improve. From the warm-ups to games, everything has to improve, and I'm sure it will. We just have to get that first big win as a team, and I think once we do, this team can do some serious damage with confidence."After the two-week break, the team will play the University of Louisiana, Lafayette at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium. The Ragin Cajuns have a 5-2 record this season, with losses against Baylor University and Texas A&M University, both nationally ranked teams.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

CCD develops alumni network

By Maha Aziz

The Rice University Center for Career Development and the Association of Rice Alumni plan to create an alumni career network to provide career guidance to current students."Alumni can provide students with insights based on real-world experience about careers, industries, companies, organizations and graduate school as those students make decisions on majors, apply for internships or graduate school, and prepare for interviews," Michael Maher, the chairman of the Alumni Advisory Board, said.Maher said the focus is now to increase student awareness and to work on how the CCD can help to connect students with alumni.According to the CCD website calendar, on Feb. 7 there will be a Fall Career and Internship Expo, which includes an Owl Career Mentor Nest. Rice Owl Career Mentor Network Coordinator Katy Portell said the Nest is a booth at the Expo with alumni volunteers who are stationed there to help students create a game plan for meeting with company recruiters at the Expo."It can be very nerve-wracking for students attending an event like the Expo," Portell said. "The alumni at the Nest will help students practice their handshakes, eye contact and greeting, as well as offer encouragement to the students.Portell said another initiative of the Rice Owl Career Mentor Network are Alumni Mentor drop-in hours. There is one Wednesday, Feb. 5 from 5-7 p.m. at Huff House, and Portell said the CCD may continue these during Expo time in the future."Students will meet with alumni volunteers mainly for resume review, but volunteers will help with other things such as interview skills and personal skills," Portell said. "The alums are happy to be a resource to the students."Portell said the Rice Owl Career Mentor Network LinkedIn group is an imperative part of the alumni network. Students can connect and reach out to alums online in a low-risk, flexible and accessible way to find opportunities that interest them. McMurtry College Peer Career Advisor Adriana Bracho said the alumni on the LinkedIn page are very responsive and easy to contact."It can be a little awkward trying to contact someone over the phone or by email for the first time, and the network being in the format of a social media site will make it easier for students and alumni to connect," Bracho, a senior, said.Bracho said the college PCAs will be an important piece of the network as a whole, and she believes this network will make searching and preparing for career and internship opportunities a better experience for both alums and students."The PCAs are here to help jump-start the program and create new topics so the alumni will continue to help Rice students," Bracho said. "I think this new approach will highly benefit both students and alumni because it makes the whole experience a lot more personal and alumni can better direct students to opportunities they otherwise might have overlooked."

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

SA releases language class survey

By Tina Nazerian

The Student Association Academics Committee is currently gauging student interest on implementing a system for undergraduates to petition to create language classes Rice does not currently offer, according to Academics Committee New Student Representative Brett Gutstein. "Rice currently offers courses in 12 languages to undergraduate students: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish," Gutstein, a Lovett College freshman, said. "While Rice's language programs and opportunities are already robust and enriching, many institutions of the same caliber as Rice offer double that amount or have systematic programs that allow students to study languages not offered."Gutstein said he has spoken with the administration in the Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication and determined what he thinks the system could look like at Rice if approved. A possible model for the system at Rice could be similar to the Group Independent Study in language at Brown University, Gutstein said. "A group of students would work with a current faculty member or graduate student capable of teaching the language to create a syllabus and plan of study for courses over the next few semesters," Gutstein said. "However, this system would be slightly limiting because it would require that a Rice faculty member or graduate student be capable of and willing to teach a language not offered."Gutstein said he thinks the ideal model for Rice's system would be akin to Stanford's special language program. "A group of five or more Rice students would commit to taking a language not currently offered for at least two semesters and petition the university to teach it," Gutstein said. "Rice might then consider whether or not to hire a professor or adjunct lecturer to teach the class if funding is available."While Rice may not be as big as some of its peer institutions, this system would allow Rice to provide students with a similar experience in language education, Gutstein said. "With a system in which students could petition for the creation of new language classes, Rice could teach the same less-popular languages that its peer institutions do but without having to spend the resources required to create entirely new departments and permanent classes," Gutstein said. "This system would also significantly enrich Rice students' study of global cultures and act as a marketable asset for Rice as an institution to both prospective students and employers."Gustein said he will gather responses for approximately the next two weeks. Thus far, students have proposed a wide variety of languages including Cantonese, American Sign Lanugage and Swahili.SA Academics Committee Co-Chair Nicole Zhao said the survey is purely to determine student opinion and is not indicative of promised results or outcomes. "The CLIC administrators have expressed interest in [Gutstein's] idea but wanted to see how much student demand there was for such a system," Zhao, a Brown College junior, said. "From there, the CLIC may or may not pursue such a system - nothing is definitively certain as of now. However, the SA will use the survey results to work for what students want as best as we can."In the past, some students have tried to address the demand for languages not offered at Rice by creating student taught classes to teach them, but these classes only last one semester and lack the vigor of official classes, Gutstein said. According to Gutstein, the idea developed from his desire to learn Persian. He was initially disappointed when he found Rice does not offer the language but realized he could still pursue studying Persian at Rice when he joined the SA as an NSR on the Academics Committee in September."Instead of just campaigning for Farsi to be created as a new language, I decided it would be better to create a system for other students like me to be able to study languages that Rice does not currently offer," Gutstein said. Dean of Humanities Nicolas Shumway said he is a big supporter of language study and is glad there is this level of interest in languages. He said the logistics of a program like this would have to go through Director of the Center for the Study of Languages Rafael Salaberry."One of the big issues here is if a course is going to have an instructor, we would have to find someone who's qualified to teach the language," Shumway said. "Not any native speaker of a language is necessarily qualified to teach that language. Language teaching does require expertise, but we would certainly try to meet student interest in one way or another." Baker College freshman Yamin Arefeen said he thinks the potential initiative is a good idea. "I hadn't really thought about it before, but a way for students to take classes in languages that Rice doesn't have without Rice having to fund entirely new departments could benefit both the university and the students," Arefeen said. The survey can be accessed at tinyurl.com/ricelang.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Letter to the Editor:

By Michael Donatti

After reading the Thresher's coverage of the Rice Environmental Society's (RES) request for a $9 blanket tax, I wish to clarify the way RES will function. Putting funding into sustainability at Rice is especially important after the Rice Endowment for Sustainable Energy Technology (RESET) lost its $9 blanket tax last year due to insufficient voter turnout.Most importantly, the structure of RES as set in its constitution prevents any one organization from monopolizing the funds. If the student body supports a blanket tax, 90 percent will go into an "initiatives" fund and 10 percent will go into a "flex" fund. The initiatives fund (about $30,600) will be accessible to any individual student at Rice through RESET's existing application. When a student proposes a project, the RES board, which consists of one delegate from each of the member organizations-Rice Bikes, the EcoReps, RESET, RSVP Environmental Committee, the Environmental Club, the Student Association Environmental Committee and Real Food Revolution, approves the project through a three-fourths majority vote. While RESET is only a member organization like any other, RES will use its infrastructure to accept student proposals.The flex fund (about $3,400) is open to RES's member organizations. To access it, a member organization proposes its environmental project or program, and the RES board approves it through a three-fourths majority vote. New environmental organizations that form on campus can also apply to become members of RES.The percentage breakdown reflects how much of its blanket tax RESET tended to use in the past for individual student projects. RES uses the remaining 10 percent to give the member organizations, which already support RES's mission, an opportunity to do more good work. It protects most of the money (the 90 percent) for student-initiated projects, opening the benefit of the blanket tax to all students. The percentage breakdown will also be open to review each year to leave room for improvements.RES requests $9 per student because funding environmental improvement projects is costly. For example, when RESET made 86 toilets on campus dual-flush, the initial cost was over $20,000, even though this move saved money in the long run. The Blanket Tax Standing Committee agreed the amount was reasonable and highly recommended RES for student approval; the committee will continue to review the amount of the blanket tax each year if the student body approves RES in the SA general elections.RES is more than a new identity. While it certainly strengthens the image of environmentalism and sustainability at Rice, it acts as much more than a new name for the union of Rice's many environmental groups. With blanket tax funding, it will support tangible reductions in Rice's environmental impact. Because of RESET's existing infrastructure for receiving student project ideas, RES can get to work immediately.Ultimately, RES's mission is to further the Rice 100-Year Sustainability Plan, which the student senate passed two years ago. Because of its structure of checks and balances, RES is prepared to support its mission and spend student dollars effectively. RES needs a two-thirds majority vote to pass, so it is important that the student body turns out to vote.Michael DonattiDuncan College Senator, Co-Founder of RES

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Students organize finance networking opportunities

By Dixita Viswanath

A series of lunch talks that aims to expose Rice University students to various networking opportunities in the field of investment banking and finance began Jan. 24, according to hosts Victoria Alvarez-Arango and Adrian Celaya, both Will Rice College sophomores."[The Investment Banking Brown Bag Lunch Series] aims to bring in prominent alumni from the Rice community from around the world in order to educate our students about the world of finance," Celaya said.During the talks, the next of which will take place in early March, students will learn how to succeed in interviews, how to network and how to use Rice as a vehicle for networking, Celaya said. In addition, the organization is working towards hosting a future trip to New York to take students on a tour of Wall Street to meet professionals in the field.This organization, in partnership with the School of Social Sciences, does not aim to lecture students but, rather, to provide them with an opportunity to connect with alumni and find out how to excel in their future jobs, Alvarez-Arango said.According to Alvarez-Arango, alums from around the country are expected to join Rice for an hour-long lunch seminar every month. These talks will be either in-person visits or Skype video conferences."We first found a need for this type of organization when both [Adrian and I] were looking for internships," Alvarez-Arango said. "Ryan Tull, a managing director at Credit Suisse, approached us because he noticed that Rice students are underprepared in such interviews when compared to other top universities. We spearheaded this initiative to improve Rice's community."Alvarez-Arango and Celaya hosted their first conference on Jan. 24 and invited Tull and Paul Arango, also a managing director at Credit Suisse, to speak at the event. Future seminars will be geared toward specific topics within investment banking.According to Celaya, each talk will last around 90 minutes, with an opportunity for students to interact with professionals during the reception. "We were very excited by the turnout for our inaugural event," Celaya said. "We had about 30 students attend who were genuinely interested and engaged in conversation."These talks are open to the entire Rice community but are aimed towards freshman and sophomores who are interested in finance, Celaya said. Wiess College freshman Ben Tour said he attended the series to learn more about investment banking."I came to the event because I didn't want to pass up the chance to learn from experienced individuals in the field who can teach me invaluable knowledge," Tour said. "The talk really opened my eyes to the world of finance and sparked my interest in sales and trading. The speakers gave a detailed explanation of the various aspects of investment banking and gave insightful tips on how to excel in [investment banking] and have a fulfilling career."

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Women's basketball drops four in a row

By Michael Kidd

The Rice Owls women's basketball team hosted two home games this past week against Tulane University and the University of Southern Mississippi. On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the Owls played the Green Wave and lost 62-55. Coming into the game, senior forward Jessica Kuster was 14 points away from breaking the all-time Rice scoring record. At the 3:23 mark, Kuster made a 3-pointer, giving her the outright record for points scored. She currently has 1,881 points and broke a record that had previously been held for 32 years. Kuster also holds the Rice record for career rebounds and field goals made.On Saturday, Feb. 1, the Owls hosted the Golden Eagles and lost 74-58. The Owls had 23 turnovers in the game, leading to 29 points for Southern Miss. The Owls trailed by as many as 27 points early in the second half and managed to close the gap to 11 points with approximately 3:30 to go but failed to complete the comeback. Kuster led the team with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while junior forward Christal Porter scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Porter achieved her second double-digit scoring game in the last three games. Kuster secured her 18th double-double of the season and is currently second in the NCAA in that category. The Owls fell to an overall record of 10-11 and 3-5 in C-USA play.Porter said Kuster deserves all the success that comes her way. Porter said that along with her teammates, she works hard every week for the sake of making Kuster's senior year successful."Her success is awesome, well-deserved and [earned]," Porter said. "We want to give our best for her because she is a great leader."Porter said the Tulane game was hard-fought, but the Owls struggled to close it out in the second half. She said the Owls' defense was effective, but their offense failed them."I think we definitely played well against Tulane, who is one of the better teams in our league," Porter said. "We had a good defensive scheme against them, and it was well-executed. We were tied at halftime but just had a hard time scoring [in the second half], so that's what we have to work on in the future."Porter said the upcoming game against Middle Tennessee State University will be very intense and competitive. She said Rice has the talent to take down the No. 25 team in the nation."Well you know that [they're] a great team, but I think we have a great chance of beating them," Porter said. "I feel that our team has the talent. Even though we haven't been playing our best basketball in the last couple of games, I know we can play on their level. It will definitely be a good matchup."Rice travels to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to take on Middle Tennessee at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

General Elections 2014: Meet the candidates

By Rice Thresher Staff

Trent NavranAt Rice, I've been able to grow, challenge myself and open my eyes to infinite learning, both academic and experiential. I take pride in being a Rice student, and from the start have sought to make a positive impact in the Rice community. As a New Student Representative in the SA, I collaborated with residential college leadership to evaluate how to foster a culture that stimulates intellectual curiosity and challenges students' worldviews, ideas and aspirations. As a Senator, I formed the Entrepreneurship Collaborative, an entity that brings together student leaders, administrators and key faculty to improve programs that foster leadership development and entrepreneurial opportunities. These experiences allowed me to deepen my love for this university and affect tangible change on campus.I hope to be your SA President for one simple reason: I want to ensure that Rice students feel empowered to own their college experience and realize the positive changes they may hope to make. Be it alleviating parking concerns through construction of a parking garage or rethinking how Rice online courses can enhance academics, I'll ensure that students are involved in administrative planning. Valuing transparency, communication and widespread participation, I'll expand and publicize the SA's new online petitioning system, which has the potential to magnify student initiatives, receive administrative responses and action, and hopefully put change in the hands of invested students. It would be an incredible honor to serve the Rice student body in this way, and I would be grateful to have your support.What do you see as the most important issue for Rice undergraduates right now, and what would you do as president to address it?I see issues such as creating a new Student Center, improving parking, and solving capacity problems within housing and academics as key concerns, but ultimately think that the overarching problem for undergraduates is actually having the ability and resources to address these issues. As president, I would improve the flow of information, ideas, and input between residential colleges and the Student Association to ensure that any student who desires to collaborate on pressing issues is able to contribute thoughts and learn about tangible ways to make change happen. Moreover, I will expand an online petitioning system to gain valuable campus-wide perspective on key student issues and work to make student interactions with administration more transparent, democratic, and influential. Min Ji Kim"We are stronger together." Rice Athletics has the "Together" campaign rallying the Rice community to support our athletes. It motivated us to achieve victories including the 2013 C-USA football championship. Using this great campaign as a model, I will focus on bringing our community together to foster more discussion from the student body as your SA President, but I can't reach this goal by myself. I need YOUR input. Throughout my experience in the SA, I learned how to work with the administration and how to reach out to my peers. Last year, as a SA Senator, I worked with Fondren Library to have its hours extend 24/7 during finals. This was only possible after listening to a student's concern over the hours before the change. Currently, I serve as a SA Student Life Committee Chair. A few of the projects that the committee is working on are offering a shuttle service to off-campus students and revamping the International Student Association.To be a SA President who gets work done, I need to listen to the student body and meet with various people. I would implement an anonymous input system on the SA website, which I would check daily. I would attend cabinet meetings and have "office hours" during meals at colleges to talk to my fellow Rice owls. I have the experience and dedication to be an effective SA President, and I need YOUR support so that we can work together to enhance the Rice experience.What do you see as the most important issue for Rice undergraduates right now, and what would you do as president to address it? From my experience as a Rice owl, I realize that the university is not united enough around being a Rice Owl. Rice Owls can successfully advocate issues when they are behind the same cause. I will aim to create one big community amongst the university. To achieve this, I need to listen to my fellow Rice Owls and this can be done by implementing an anonymous input system on the SA website, going to cabinet meetings, promoting SA's petition system, and having  "office hours" at colleges. I would continue to seek advice on how Rice can be more unified. More importantly, I will constantly be looking for things to improve upon. I will not be focusing the presidency around one just issue. I expect to focus on more issues by listening to students' concerns and working with the SA Exec board, officers (senators, committee chairs, directors), and college presidents.  Referendums on the General Elections ballot:Ratify the new SA constitutionThe Committee on Constitutional Revisions reviewed the current constitution, revised it to reflect the current operations of the Student Association and removed outdated rules and procedures. This referendum will approve the revised constitution. The committee rewrote the document to eliminate ambiguous language and contradictions. The constitution document will also include the bylaws and will be organized by topic in order to increase user-friendliness.Rice Environmental Society blanket taxRES has proposed an annual $9 blanket tax per student. RES's mission is to address issues relating to sustainability and the environment and to further the SA's 100-year Sustainability plan. Funding from the blanket tax would cover the costs of club-sponsored sustainability projects. Rice Catalyst blanket taxRice Catalyst has proposed an annual $1 blanket tax per student. The Blanket Tax Standing Committee also recommended a sunset clause that would require the organization to apply for renewal of the tax after three years. An undergraduate scientific research journal, the Catalyst will use the tax to cover publication and TedxRiceU costs. If the Rice Catalyst receives blanket tax funding, it will become a subsidiary of the SA.Honor Council Constitution amendmentThe Honor Council proposed to amend the Constitution of the Honor System by removing Article XII, Section 1 and Article XXI. Under these articles, students accused of an Honor Code violation have the option to withdraw from Rice for two semesters instead of going through the court process. The Honor Council proposed this amendment in part because it believes that the articles in question could potentially allow students to escape the consequences of their actions. The SA presidential candidate statements abover were submitted by the candidates to the SA Director of Elections. Statements from candidates running for other positions can be viewed at www.ricethresher.org.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Student initiative saves 100 Days

By Sofi Hebert

Rice University is seeing a change in how 100 Days, the senior party that marks the number of days remaining in the semester, is coordinated. The annual event will be held Thursday, Feb. 6 at Under the Volcano and is student-led, according to Student Association President Yoonjin Min.After a conversation with Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson, Min said she and the college presidents decided to make the event a student-led activity."We got some historical perspective from him and learned that 100 Days originally was held at a random bar, with no university support or planning," Min said.According to Sid Richardson College President Caitlin Devereaux, Min is one of several campus-wide seniors who have taken it upon themselves to ensure the event takes place. Devereaux said 100 Days is no longer being funded by the Office of Alumni Affairs because Alumni Affairs felt that the event did not fit within their mission. One of the proposals from college presidents was to combine 100 Days with Rondolet, the spring formal dance run by the Rice Program Council, Deveraux said. However, RPC President Aisha Jeeva said the suggestion to join the two events came at a time when the RPC budget had already been set."Our budget for the 2013-2014 school year was set way back in April 2013, and so there is no way we could suddenly host the event, considering that our funding had been allocated months ago to our numerous events," Jeeva said.Ultimately, Min said the SA and college presidents decided to rework 100 Days into a student-organized event."We liked that idea, which allowed us to continue to have the event, although in slightly different fashion," Min said. "After we had the info set, we worked with Student Judicial Programs to make sure our marketing was cohesive with the idea that this is not a university-sponsored event."Students will not have to purchase tickets to attend the event, and there are no fees to get in the door at the venue, according to Min. However, all guests must present a valid state-issued ID and therefore, only people over 21 will be able to attend. The venue is not reserved for Rice students, so non-Rice guests may also be at the venue.The seniors organizing 100 Days have met with the staff of the chosen bar, Under the Volcano, to appropriately prepare them and are attempting to work out a drink discount for seniors. The bar will provide the necessary security and continue to card everyone who arrives, according to Devereaux."We chose Under the Volcano because it's a space close to campus," Min said. "The light rail closes at 12 a.m. [that night], which would make a return from midtown more inconvenient." Tsedenia Tewodros said she appreciates the efforts made by her peers to keep the tradition alive."I'm happy that someone is taking an initiative to organize it, because 100 days is something that most seniors look forward to, and it would have been sad if we were the first year in a long time to miss out on that," Tewodros, a Sid Rich senior, said.Brandon Hautt said he is optimistic about the effect this will have on the atmosphere of the event as a whole."It feels like a real senior event, since it was put on completely by seniors," Hautt, a Baker College senior, said.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Men's tennis loses to Texas Tech and Mississippi State

By Luke Samora

The men's tennis team lost both of its matches over the weekend, losing 5-2 to Mississippi State University and 4-2 to Texas Tech University. Rice will stay on the road with matchups against Northwestern University and Cornell University this weekend, both away games in Evanston, Ill.On Friday, the Owls played the Bulldogs without freshman Max Andrews, who usually plays in the third spot. He sat out for both matches last weekend. Freshman David Warren and sophomore Tommy Bennett picked up Rice's two singles points in this matchup.On Sunday, Rice again scored only two points with singles victories from freshman Zach Yablon and sophomore Adam Gustafsson. The singles matches were played first, making the doubles point unnecessary after the Red Raiders secured four points.Head Coach Efe Ustundag said the team played some inspiring tennis on the road, which made its trip to Lubbock worthwhile."What I really took away from this road trip was knowing that on any day of the week, we can play with some of the best teams in the nation," Ustundag said. "We are capable of beating ranked players, and compared to both opponents, we showed more team spirit and support."However, Ustundag said this still did not erase the two losses from the Owls' memory."At the same time, we have to do a better job of playing well in back-to-back matches individually," Ustundag said. "I feel like we have yet to play a match where all six guys play at their best. When that comes together, we will start defeating nationally ranked teams."Yablon said the team needs to forget about this weekend and focus on its trip to Illinois."We need to have short-term memory and take the positives away because just about everyone had their moments during either the match against Mississippi State [or] Texas Tech," Yablon said.Yablon said everyone on the team needs to come together this weekend, focusing on mental and physical toughness in each match. He also believes the indoor conditions this weekend will greatly benefit the team."We really need to have everyone come together this weekend and have everyone put their best effort forward," Yablon said. "I believe that the indoor conditions will suit our team nicely, and if we can keep up the mental and physical toughness, then this coming weekend will bring us success."The Owls face Northwestern on Friday, Feb. 7 and Cornell on Saturday, Feb. 8.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

CelebrateART to showcase student artwork

By Danya Kachkou

Art is everywhere at Rice. At first glance, it may seem like science is at the forefront of this university, but upon further inspection, one can find art in all corners and among all disciplines at this institution.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Public art honors Hermann Park centennial

By Kaylen Strench

Hermann Park is undergoing a quite unconventional transformation. A giant, beautiful maze constructed from saplings seems to have recently sprouted out of the ground near the Japanese Garden. By the Museum of Natural History, a 13-foot-tall red orb appears to hover elegantly a few inches above the ground.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Albums and Abominations

By Benjamin Huber-Rodriguez

Favorite tracks: "Going Out," "Nightingale," and "Inauguration" Album available for $9.99 on iTunes.Almost exactly two years ago, a young(er) Benjamin Huber-Rodriguez reviewed his first album for the Thresher. It was the charming debut album Hospitality by the little-known indie pop band out of Brooklyn of the same name. While Hospitality has not taken off in the ways I had expected, its second full-length album Trouble brings all the catchy hooks, witty lyricism and surprising mid-song curveballs of the debut record alongside significantly darker production and songwriting. If Hospitality was the bright, daytime version of New York, Trouble is its nighttime companion - slinking, shadowy, low-key at times and even a bit sexy. When it works, the combination is both infectious and subtly dramatic at the same time.If there were any doubt that Hospitality has never deviated from its formula for catchy, upbeat pop songs, it is shattered exactly 19 seconds into the opening track, "Nightingale," when singer Amber Pampini is interrupted by the most Black Keys-esque blues rock riff since the last Black Keys album. The song then disappears for a while, with Pampini accompanied only by single bass notes, until the drums roll in and the song explodes once again into an indie pop anthem. The song is a statement of purpose for an album out to prove that it can play the role of Columbia Twee Pop and inventive sonic manipulation at the same time.The content of Trouble often describes the same mid-20s anxiety that has become blogger fodder as of late (see HBO's Girls), but Pampini manages to add just enough personal detail to keep the songs interesting. "Inauguration" is an album standout that excellently captures the apathetic melancholia of simple breakups. There is nothing cryptic here, no metaphors to unravel, just the kind stream of conscious writing that comes off as both deeply personal and arrestingly poetic. The bleak background of echoing, scratched guitars and thumping toms captures the feeling of utter aloneness beautifully.  Where Trouble fails is when the group spirals into monotony. "Last Words," for instance, is an extended, nearly seven-minute synth jam that contains some highly processed guest vocals that break the mood set by Pampini. Still, the scant strummer that nearly ends the album, "Sunship," contains perhaps the most beautiful moment on the album, with the lilting acoustic guitar coming out of the darkness to be greeted by a brilliant french horn solo before drifting off into the horizon for the coda.Trouble is catchy as hell and reveals some excellent observations. The range of musical influences and styles diversifies the listen, while juxtaposition between playful upbeat tracks and sparse closeness of more halcyon pieces make the record as a whole an interesting experience. The lyrics trudge through the same territory as a dozen other talented indie bands, but as Pampini continues to navigate post-collegiate life while punctuating all her songs with the starkness of each new realization, the sound of her discovery is music to our ears.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Men's basketball struggles in West Texas

By Dan Elledge

The Rice Owls men's basketball team lost their first conference road games of the season 89-76 at the University of Texas, San Antonio on Thursday, Jan. 30 and 68-57 to the University of Texas, El Paso on Saturday, Feb. 1. With the losses, the Owls are now 6-15 overall and 1-7 in Conference USA play.Head Coach Ben Braun said the team played some of its best basketball of the season against UTEP. Braun said he was impressed with the Owls' performance in the first half before the Miners stormed back in the last 20 minutes."I thought that was our best half of the year, going to UTEP and holding them to 21 points and 30 percent [shooting] from the field," Braun said. "Give UTEP credit; they are one of the top two teams in the league."Freshman guard Marcus Jackson said the Owls were intimidated by the crowd noise, especially at the beginning of the second half, which threw the team off of its game. However, Jackson said the players will learn from this game and play better the next time they are in front of a hostile crowd."We did get a little rattled by the crowd when we turned the ball over," Jackson said. "The [fans] got loud, and we could not hear our coaches. It was definitely a learning experience to play in a crowd like that, but it definitely helped us grow. If we are in that situation again, we will come out on top."Despite the noisy UTEP crowd, Jackson recorded a season high with 14 points. After missing a few games because of a minor leg injury, Jackson said he is getting back up to game speed. He said he is still disappointed with his shooting percentage, but believes it will improve soon."When I came back from the injury, I was slow until I got my quickness and stamina back up," Jackson said. "I am 100 percent now, which is good, and I think I am just getting back into the rhythm, so it's a lot easier for me. I will start making more of my shots now."Braun said it has been great to have Jackson back on the court. He said Jackson is a major asset off the bench for the Owls who has helped on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor."It's good to see him healthy again," Braun said. "To get [Jackson] back is huge. We have been without [Jackson] for weeks, but to see him come back with a smile on his face and knocking down his shots is great. His defense has improved, and he is getting [his] stamina back."The Owls will return to Tudor Fieldhouse to face the University of North Texas on Thursday, Feb. 6 and the University of Tulsa on Saturday, Feb. 8.Braun said getting out to an early lead is important at home to build momentum and put pressure on the opponent. He said the team needs to be more consistent for the entire 40 minutes of a game."Getting off to a good start is always important for our team," Braun said. "I'd rather have a lead and work on ways to preserve it than constantly have to be down and catch up. We have had some good leads this year, and we need to work on our consistency. We think that's our biggest challenge: consistency from half to half, game to game."Braun said he knows both coaches well and expects both the Mean Green and the Hurricane to put forth their best effort. Braun said the Owls better be ready to defend their home court."I have a lot of respect for the [men] that are coaching," Braun said. "[North Texas and Tulsa] play really hard, and our attention has to be up for these two games."

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Women's tennis loses to defending champion Stanford at Jake Hess

By Dan Elledge

The Rice Owls women's tennis team hosted the NCAA defending champion, Stanford University, on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium. These two teams last met in the Round of 32 in the 2013 NCAA tournament. Stanford swept the Owls 4-0 to advance to the Sweet 16.For this matchup, the Cardinal entered the game undefeated at 3-0, following up from a win at No. 17 University of Texas on Friday, Jan. 31. Rice was 2-1 entering the match after a loss to the Longhorns the week before.The Owls failed to overcome the strength of the Cardinal, falling 5-2 in a match that lasted more than two hours. Stanford took the early edge by winning the doubles point 1-0. The Owls could not rally to defeat the Cardinal even with singles wins by senior Dominique Harmath and freshman Katherine Ip. Junior Natalie Beazant narrowly lost to the No. 6 singles player, Stanford senior Kristie Ahn, in a third-set tiebreaker. With the loss to Stanford, the Owls are 2-2 this season and will be back on the road this weekend.Rice will travel to Waco this weekend to take on Baylor University. The Bears come into the matchup with a record of 6-1, which includes wins over ranked opponents Ohio State University and Pennsylvania State University. Baylor lost its last matchup 7-0 against No. 2 University of Florida.The Owls last played Baylor in 2011 in Waco. Rice almost upset the then-No. 3 Bears on their home court, losing 4-3. Harmath and senior Kimberly Anicete both played in singles matches as freshmen that year. Anicete won her matchup in two sets while Harmath lost in three sets. The Owls play Baylor on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Kuster sets women's basketball scoring record

By Miles Kruppa

With 3:23 left in the second half against Tulane University on Wednesday, Jan. 29, Rice women's basketball forward and Lovett College senior Jessica Kuster sunk a 3-pointer and etched her name in Rice history. Kuster currently holds the Rice women's basketball record for career scoring and rebounding after scoring 14 points against Tulane.Kuster said she had been avoiding thinking about the record, but it was hard to maintain that level of focus when everyone was messaging her the day of the game."I had been trying to avoid all the media and all the stuff about it because I didn't want to know how many points I needed to kind of keep my stress level down," Kuster said. "But the day of and the day before the game, my Twitter was blowing up, so I did find out how much I needed to score. When it happened, I think I hit a three, and I just heard everybody start cheering extra hard, so that was really when it hit me."Additionally, if named to the 2014 All-Conference USA first team, Kuster will be the third Owl in women's basketball history to receive the honor.Kuster said the accolades and broken records come from a combination of luck and hard work that started her freshman year."There's a quote that says '[luck is] where preparation and opportunity meet,' and that's honestly just what it's come down to," Kuster said. "I'm very aware I've gotten a lot of playing time since my freshman year, a lot more than freshmen [usually] do. I came in and I didn't expect anything. I just came in and just tried to work hard in practice everyday and put in quality minutes when I was out on the floor."After averaging 14.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game her freshman year, Kuster improved on those numbers her sophomore year, averaging 17.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. However, Kuster said she experienced a mental slump during the second half of her sophomore season that forced her to reevaluate her goals."I just got tired of working so hard and the defense playing me so hard every game," Kuster said. "I was tired of having that target on my back, and I just wanted to be a person that could just sit and watch the game and watch everybody else do stuff. But then I had somebody who knocked me in the head and was like, 'This is what you want, this is what you've been working for, this is what you came here to do,' so then I sort of snapped back into it."In the summer between her sophomore and junior years, Kuster began to transition from the forward spot to the guard spot, between which she has alternated her junior and senior seasons. Head Coach Greg Williams (Hanszen '70) said Kuster's ability to play in the post and on the perimeter makes her a difficult player to guard."When we first recruited her, she was being recruited as kind of a tweener because she's 6'2", but she was thin," Williams said. "A lot of people said, 'She can't play in the post, but she also can't play on the perimeter,' but she's proved them wrong. She's worked hard to get better on the perimeter and improve her ball handling and the range on her shot. Along with her ability to play inside, that gives us a big advantage."Williams said Kuster's hard work has helped her grow as a player and inspire the rest of the team."She's the hardest worker in practice," Williams said. "At the end of practice, she'll try to win that sprint no matter how tired she is. She's a very durable player - she's only missed two games in her career and she's hardly ever missed a practice - and she really brings it every day. As a coach, you could hardly ask for more [than] that your best player is your hardest worker."Kuster has captained the team since her sophomore year. She said she wants to be remembered as more than a scorer and a rebounder."If, in 10 years, people ask, 'How was Jessica when she was here?' I want people to talk about how I was a good leader and a good friend and a good teammate," Kuster said. "I want to be someone where, if five years down the road I come and I want to play an open gym, people would want to be on my team, not because of scoring or because of rebounding, but because I'm an encouraging person, because I would bring them up and would help motivate them."

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Students should participate in government at Rice

By Rice Thresher Staff

The Thresher would like to see more participation from students in the upcoming General Elections. We were disappointed to see that only one race is contested - Student Association president - and that one race does not even have any candidates - SA internal vice president. Many people like to complain about issues on campus, yet often fail to step up and take on leadership positions where they could affect change. We encourage students to get involved in the SA in addition to college government and other extracurricular activities. The SA deals with issues that affect students across campus and is an important part of student government. Anyone involved in college government already has experience looking out for the interests of their peers and should consider running for an office in the SA. Additionally, students should not be discouraged from running for an SA position if they have not held an office within the SA before. The SA always needs people who are committed to and passionate about serving the Rice student body. We commend the SA for making progress this year. It has consistently listened to student concerns and addressed issues that are important to students. It has made the process of voicing concerns easy and effective. This should only encourage more students to get involved in the SA. When the opportunity is presented to influence and determine policies, students should take it.We look forward to the SA presidential debates on Monday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. Debates are a great way to hear what the candidates have to say, where they stand on important issues and what they want to accomplish. Students should strongly consider attending the debates or follow the Thresher's coverage of the event.The SA works best when students care enough to get involved. When students step into leadership positions, they have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their peers; more Rice students should consider it. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece's author.

NEWS 2/4/14 6:00pm

Veritas Forum 2014- Troy Van Voorhis

By Rice Thresher Staff

Troy Van Voorhis, a chemistry professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, discussed what it is like to be both a Christian and a scientist in his talk, "Walking Through the Lab Door," on Jan. 29. The Veritas Forum, a multi-campus organization which, according to their website, aims at creating dialogue among students and faculty about life's difficult questions and Christ's relevance to life, hosted the talk.

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