Onwenu, Ravella Win SA Races Amid High Turnout
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VOLUME 101, ISSUE NO. 22 | STUDENT˜RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017 Housing guide: Tips for students looking to live o° campus see insert p.7 VIETNAMESE FOOD DISTRIBUTION MARCH REMIXED MATTERS MADNESS Les Ba’get serves high-quality Humanities courses critical to Women’s basketball rallies to reach the banh mis STEM education final four of the WBI ˜°° AE ˛. ˘˘ ˜°° O˛˜ ˛. ˝ ˜°° S˛˙ˆˇ˜ ˛. ˘ From San Francisco to D.C., students spent spring break Baker chef CAPTURING ASBs exploring various social issues within communities mourned ˜°˛˝°˙ˆ ˇ˛ ˆ˘° ˇˇ In D.C., students explored gender equality and ˛ˆˇ . ˛˙ˇ°˙° Students headed to San Francisco to after tragic attended a protest with Elizabeth Warren. understand stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. death A T A˙˙ˇ˙˘˘ N°˛˙ Eˆˇ˘˜ Baker College Kitchen Cook II Essence Derouen passed away this past Sunday, March 9. According to ABC 13, she was an innocent bystander shot while sitting in her car, on her way home. The 21-year- old is survived by her 6-year-old son. According to a Facebook post from Rice University Housing and Dining, the Baker College Kitchen closed on Monday, March 20 to pay tribute to her memory. For the past two years, Derouen has worked with the Baker Kitchen team, having joined H&D ˙˜ ˙˜ ˜°ˇ ˜˜ˇ°˜˛ At the Rio Grande Valley, students explored issues of as a culinary intern several years Students compared Colorado’s resource accessibility immigration and education inequality that a˜ect the area. ago. According to a GoFundMe for individuals with disabilities to that of Houson. page set up to help raise funds for her funeral expenses, Derouen was pursuing a degree in the culinary arts. “She was devoted to her work, never idle, always wanted to learn FOR MORE ASBs, SEE PAGE 2 E˙˙°° D°˜° ˙ ˙ˇ˛° ˜ ˆ˝ ° ˆ: ˙˜ˆ°˛ °ˇˆ˘ ° ˇ˙, ˇ˜ ˜˜ˇ˛, ° , ˛ ˛˙˘° 0see DEROUEN, page 2 Onwenu, Ravella win SA races amid high turnout D˜°˛ K°˝˝°˜ eliminated; in the second, Nyquist N°˛˙ Eˆˇ˘˜ was eliminated; in the third, Onwenu PRESIDENT* EXTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT** won with 64 percent of reallocated Former Sid Richardson College votes to Todd’s 36 percent. This Senator Justin Onwenu won the 2017 process is distinct from the two election for Student Association rounds of voting which will occur Hannah Todd president with 38 percent of frst- for SA positions: The second round 32% 28% 35% Rushi Bhalani general election will take place 605 votes 517 votes Jake Nyquist 536 votes choice votes. Wiess College Senator Revathi Ravella next week for SA treasurer, internal Revathi Ravella won the race for Justin Onwenu SA external vice president with 63 vice president and other subsidiary percent to Baker College Senator organization positions. 63% Rushi Bhalani’s 35 percent. Referenda Despite the fact that some 40% 974 votes to approve revised versions of the part-time students were initially 753 votes SA and Honor Council constitutions prevented from voting and the fling passed with greater than 90 percent of a subsequent complaint against of votes in favor. the Elections Committee by current **2% (32) votes were for “Other” In the presidential race, current SA President Grin Thomas, the *Results from second round of vote counting Stats taken from sa.rice.edu/elections/results SA EVP and former Wiess Senator presidential election had more Hannah Todd came in second with recorded votes than any past SA race, UNCONTESTED POSITIONS 32 percent of f rst-choice votes. Todd with 1,875 students voting. After a launched a write-in campaign for the hearing, UCourt found the Elections VOTE YES SA Secretary: Deepu Karri position an hour after voting opened. Committee in violation of three on Referendums Thresher Editors-in-Chief: Juan Saldana & Drew Keller University Court member and former sections of the SA constitution and Rally Club President: Sergio Santamaria 93% 2 & 3 RPC President: Stephanie Zhao Will Rice College Senator Jake decided to extend the voting period Bailey Tulloch Nyquist came in third with 26 percent for fve days for part-time students UCourt Chair: Campanile Editors-in-Chief: Kira Chen & Joanna Yang of frst-choice votes. who had not yet been able to vote. Referendum 2 Under the SA’s voting system, At 48 percent of the A yes vote was to ratify the new constitution and bylaws voters rank ballot candidates and undergraduate population, the of the RIce University Student Association. 2/3 of the write-ins for each position in order of turnout rate appeared to fall just vote was required for approval. SECOND ROUND ELECTION CANDIDATES preference. Then, several “rounds” short of the 2009 SA election, which SA Internal Vice President: of vote counting are carried out. In narrowly surpassed 50 percent of Referendum 3 - Rohan Palanki each, the candidate with the least eligible voters in a smaller student A yes vote was to accept the changes to the Honor - Maurice Friedere votes is eliminated, then voters are body; however, that election had Council Constitution. These changes were intended to - Sara Meadow allocated to the remaining candidate the highest participation rate since increase membership fexibility and allow for case SA Treasurer: Ameesh Shah who was their next preference. In at least the early 1980s, according to limitations based on untimeliness. KTRU: George Barrow this election, the counting process Thresher reporting. RSVP: Carey Wang & Lynn Zhu took three rounds. In the frst, write- SEE PAGE 3 FOR A Q&A WITH in candidates other than Todd were PRESIDENT˜ELECT JUSTIN ONWENU ˇ ˜˝˘ˇ˙ ˙˘˜ˇ˛ˆˇ ˆ ˜ NEWS ˜°˛ R˝˙˛ T°ˆ˛ˇ°˛ˆ W˛˘˛ˇ˘, Mˆ˙° , son in particular, and the impact he’s had on 0 her world,” Soyebo said. “She would go through *The ASBs featured on this page are student-led DEROUEN hell and back for that child, not to mention initiatives una˜liated with Rice University Center FROM PAGE 1 working 10 hours at Rice, [over fve] hours at ASBs cont.* for Civic Leadership. another job at night. She was a Wonder Woman more, always strove for excellence,” the post for her family, and set newer, higher standards said. “She was an outstanding team member for them.” : ˝ Students volunteered for the Mission: Wolf organization and was dedicated to pursuing her education as Kat Sofjan, a Baker senior, said Derouen in Colorado that raises awareness for wolf conservation. a culinarian.” went out of her way to look out for others. The GoFundMe raised more than $6,800 of “I have some allergies and she would always its $8,000 goal within a day, with more than 130 look at my plate and make sure I didn’t grab donors contributing. anything suspect,” Sofjan said. “I remember According to Ashton Duke, a Baker once she found out something had been sophomore, she was one of the most positive mislabeled and she came into the commons to people at Baker. fnd me and tell me not to eat it.” According to Sofjan, along with cooking, Derouen loved music. “A few times I caught her writing lyrics during her down time and I got her to perform Many of the sta˜ took them for me,” Sofjan said. “Her freestyling her as their sister or skills rivaled her pastry making skills. Honestly this place just won’t be the same without her. daughter. She was our She was a fantastic chef, community member and friend. She was passionate, caring, creative friend and she was a and someone who I truly looked forward to treasure to Baker and interacting with every day.” Jones College senior Jackson Tyler said he and Will Rice College senior Evan Yoon formed to Rice. ˘ˇ˛˜˙ °˜° ˝ˇ a friendship with Derouen during her time working at Baker. ˜°˛˝˙ ˜ˆˇ˘° Reading books and spending time with children is how some Blessing Falade “I remember one day us ‘singing’ FKA students engaged with two early education partners in Houston. Twigs to her and us all laughing about it,” Baker College Senior Tyler said. “We always would go fnd Essence and say hi and talk and laugh for a bit. She “As a welcome center tour guide, I gave tours always had a smile and brought light to our to elementary school students and one of the days. She was defnitely a special person for best memories I have of her was the frst time Evan and I. ” I walked by the servery on a tour and I had the Blessing Falade, a Baker senior, said kids say, ‘Hi Essence!’” Duke said. “She gave the Derouen often joked around with the other sta biggest smile I had ever seen and she gave that and her laughter was always audible. same smile every time I saw her in the servery.” “When I think of Essence, her lively Baker College master Rosemary van der and radiant smile comes to mind,” Falade Werff said the college will miss Derouen said. “Although I never had the pleasure greatly. of connecting with her on a deep level, our “She was a ray of sunshine and always had a weekly exchange of pleasantries, which cheery smile and fun conversations with us all,” occasionally included discussion on our van der Wer said. “She loved Baker and greatly black natural hair, were a source of comfort added to the family atmosphere that we have at and joy. I watched her engage with almost this college. Our sincere condolences go out to everyone with the same warm demeanor. I’m her mother and family.” sure many of the sta took her as their sister Baker senior Sammy Soyebo said they were or daughter. She was our friend and she was friends outside of Derouen’s work at Rice.