VOLUME 101, ISSUE NO. 12 || WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016 RICE UNIVERSITY WEEKLY NEWSPAPER STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 RICETHRESHER.ORG a tribe called after the owls rally quest election to 2-8 The classic hip-hop group’s Students and faculty Quarterback Tyler Stehling comeback album smashes a discuss moving forward leads Owls to their first long hiatus. following the election. C-USA win of the season. see A&E p. 6 see Ops p. 5 see Sports p. 11 Hopes and fears: Campus reacts to Trump christina tan/thresher Drew Keller president Jake Blumencranz said the Buzzard, who described himself as a Clinton, as did Will Rice sophomore for all the wrong reasons: His policy News Editor group, which voted to not endorse conservativefavoringsmallgovernment Hugh Grier, another Trump voter. means a lot less darker people within Trump’s candidacy in September, with strong national defense policies, “She is a lying, cheating, bought- these borders, whether they be illegal The morning after Donald Trump’s hoped Trump would appoint offi cials said economic turmoil in Midwestern out criminal,” Grier said. “There are immigrants or refugees,” Kowalski said. electoral victory, a palpable gloom had who would carry out conservative and industry that he attributed to Obama people in prison for doing what she did. “It doesn’t mean his policies are rooted settled over Rice University’s campus. Republican ideals. administration policies played an Electing a president that knowingly in hate. I don’t think he won any sexist Laughter was scarce; students gave “Like everyone else, we are important role in his vote. broke the law and openly lied to the votes, though perhaps he won some their friends hugs and off ered words surprised at the outcome of this election “Rural voters are disenfranchised American public would undermine pro-life votes. I’m pro-choice, and his of support. Some professors took time but we are not shocked that Trump’s — people sort of mock that term — but everything this country stands for.” policies on environmentalism bother out of class to discuss the election, message of change has resonated with people don’t generally understand,” However, both Grier and Buzzard me, but in every other respect he was while some students described an much of the country,” Blumencranz, a Buzzard said. “I’m from southwest said they supported all or most of the the superior presidential candidate.” immobilizing despondence as they Brown College junior, said. “Now that Missouri, and manufacturing and other Republican candidates over Kowalski said he wore a pro-Trump tried to go about their daily routine. the election is over and Trump is in the agriculture are part of the economy. Trump during the primaries. They said hat featuring the words “Make America Others who identify as conservatives or White House, we must come together Those issues were prominent in how we they did not support Trump’s widely Great Again” around campus the day supported Trump, however, expressed and unite as one party and one club.” vote in a rationally economic sense.” reported comments regarding women, after the election. more optimistic sentiments. Will Rice College freshmen Patrick Both Kowalski and Buzzard nor did they identify with some of his “Honestly, I feel like it was social Kowalski and Madison Buzzard both also expressed dislike for what they more extreme supporters. Kowalski suicide and winning the lottery at the A Republican victory voted for Trump, though they did described as the corruption and expressed a similar sentiment. same time,” Kowalski said. “A lot of Rice University College Republicans not expect his Election Night victory. establishment politics of Hillary “Racists would vote for [Trump] 0see REACTIONS, page 4 MECH continues push Campus organizes, shows solidarity for change at town hall in aftermath of presidential election Emily Abdow “All our senior faculty are taking an Amber Tong engage students on their concerns, articulate your anger you can’t begin to Assistant News Editor overload. They are doing more work News Editor anxieties and questions, according to tackle it and heal it,” Clack said. than the university requires of them to OMA director Catherine Clack. Gabriela Balicas, a student diversity Mechanical engineering faculty teach these classes.” More than 150 students In addition, the OMA is setting up coordinator at the OMA, said it is and students discussed departmental The department also added gathered around Willy’s Statue in a tables in the Rice Memorial Center for important to validate people’s fears weaknesses and ways to improve the three new faculty members, Pedram demonstration of solidarity within a students to write down their thoughts. and pain, as they cannot move forward undergraduate experience during the Hassanzedah, Fred Higgs and day of Donald Trump’s confirmation Clack said Rice is trying to ensure without properly grieving and healing. MECH Department Town Hall Meeting Matthew Brake, but class size remains as President-Elect. College presidents people have resources to heal. “People are scared of harassment, organized by the Rice MECH Advisory a concern among students. Brake, who invited students to a midnight vigil “Some of us are so angry we can’t 0see INITIATIVES, page 4 Board on Friday. The four key areas of recently served as an adjunct research organized by Lovett College sophomore articulate our anger, and if you can’t focus were the classroom experience, assistant at the University of New Andrew Hadad. research experience, organization of Mexico, said Rice has made classes “As a country we stand more labs and job opportunities. smaller through what he described as divided than ever, but as a campus we Laura Schaefer, the department an unorthodox approach of off ering will come together as one united force,” chair of mechanical engineering, several lectures for core courses such the email invitation read. “We have the encouraged students to keep their as Engineering Mechanics (MECH 211). ability to hold hands across divides.” comments constructive. “What seems like it should be The vigil ended with a group hug “I understand that there is probably an easy solution, from the students’ that appeared on both student media a lot of frustration in this room, there perspective, would be to hire more site The College Fix and conservative might even be anger in this room, but faculty to share that work load,” Brake outlet Breitbart. After the gathering, please know that everyone in here is said. “But, the political aspect of it is the Rice community responded to on your side of this,” Schaefer said. that that’s a very challenging feat for the election with initiatives to spur “We want to have a better, stronger, the administration to accomplish. discussion and action plans. more resilient, more student-serving Eff orts such as these town halls go a department as well.” long way to help build a case for us to Diversity initiatives Schaefer said one major change grow the department and to have more The Offi ce of Multicultural Aff airs implemented by the department is full-time faculty available to teach.” hosted a dialogue on Friday to address that every undergraduate course is Andrew Gatherer, a member of the thosewhofeltdisillusionedorunsureof amber tong/thresher taught by a full-time faculty member. MECH Advisory Board, described the the future. For the rest of the semester, About 20 students gathered in the academic quad on Friday to protest “Those faculty members are diffi culties of getting funding directly diversity facilitators will host weekly againstclimatechangedenialanddiscussactionunderaTrumppresidency. making sacrifices,” Schaefer said. 0see MECH, page 4 tables at their respective colleges to 2 NEWS the Rice Thresher Wednesday,N ovember 16, 2016 Amid Rice’s rise to 15th in the nation in US News, students question methodology, usefulness of university rankings auditing classes from total enrollment. rankings at all. While rankings shouldn’t be high school senior’s college decision. Amber Dai Additionally, institutional changes were a completely ignored, they are best used to examine “I feel like you can’t write convincing college Thresher Staff factor in Rice’s rise in the rankings, according to larger trends which can help a student decide essays if you want to go to a school only because Associate Vice Provost Shiva Jaganathan and Vice what actually is the best fit.” it’s ranked really highly or for the prestige, so When U.S. News & World Report released President for Finance Kathy Collins. Jaganathan While some believe college rankings are rankings were never a big factor of my decision of its 2017 National Universities Rankings, Rice and Collins said initiatives included targeted meaningless, the existence of the rankings where to apply,” Seballos said. University found itself four spots higher than the eff orts to increase alumni donations, improved themselves may perpetuate their own importance: For others, rankings served as a starting point yearbefore,risingfromtiedforNo.19totiedforNo. freshman retention and six-year graduation rates Academic reputation encompasses 22.5 percent of of research. 15 with Cornell University, Vanderbilt University that they attributed to Student Success Initiatives the score assigned to a university through U.S. “Once I got a baseline that these are all good and the University of Notre Dame. Two factors led and a reduction in admissions rate due to an News’ methodology. This factor is based off the schools I might have a chance of going to then, to Rice’s increase in the rankings: changes in the increasing applicant pool. opinions of peer university offi cials and high I just took it completely sideways, ignored the ranking methodology by U.S. News, in addition to school counselors. According to David Daniels, rankings, and looked at which school I would be institutional changes made by Rice.