VOLUME 104, ISSUE NO. 5 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 MOB LETS PRIDE FLY IN BAYLOR SHOW AMY QIN NEWS EDITOR During halftime of the football game against Baylor University on Saturday, over 50 students and alumni from Rice and Baylor ran onto the football field bearing pride flags. The halftime show, organized by the Marching Owl Band, was a protest against Baylor’s discriminatory stance toward LGBTQ+ students, according to Chad Fisher, the public katherine hui / THRESher relations representative for the MOB. In late August, Baylor University President Linda Livingstone published a statement formally opposing premarital sex and homosexuality on the university official Classes canceled belatedly after flooding, storms website. The statement came days before an LGBTQ+ student group, Gamma Alpha SAVANNAH KUCHAR storm and flood conditions. across the Houston area began to Upsilon, was denied their request for a ASST NEWS EDITOR “The fact that Rice contradicted appear. [The Crisis Management Team] charter, according to the Dallas Observer. city officials and did not cancel classes made the decision to cancel classes and “The university affirms the biblical Tropical Depression Imelda hit until hours after the city of Houston related activities at 1:30 p.m. given the understanding of sexuality as a gift Houston last week, bringing with it said not to travel is ridiculous and now serious incidents of flooding on from God,” its online statement reads. heavy rains and flash flood warnings unacceptable,” Axelson said in his campus and across greater Houston.” “Temptations to deviate from this norm starting Wednesday and reaching email. “Rice loves to tout its recent Loren Goddard, a junior at include both heterosexual sex outside of its peak on Thursday. Rice campus research on climate change, flooding Hanszen College, said that the marriage and homosexual behavior. It is remained under normal operations in Houston, and Hurricane Harvey, but university should have considered thus expected that Baylor students will not up until midday Thursday. sits back while streets in and around the effects on off-campus students participate in advocacy groups which promote Rice’s Crisis Management Team campus turn to rivers after 45 minutes and canceled classes sooner. understandings of sexuality that are contrary announced that classes were of heavy rain.” “It might be difficult for the to biblical teaching.” canceled in a Rice Alert sent to Gorman said that the initial university to know how bad the rain During the halftime show, students carried the Rice community at 1:33 p.m. decision to not cancel classes was is going to get, but as an [off-campus] eight different pride flags onto the field, Thursday. Classes were then canceled a result of an incorrect forecast and student it would have definitely been representing the asexual, transgender, non- on Friday as well, according to a Rice Imelda’s unpredictable nature. nice to know [that classes would be binary, intersex, gay, lesbian, bisexual and Alert sent at 10:35 p.m. on Thursday. “We decided to proceed with normal canceled] before I got to campus so I pansexual communities and assembled into In an email to President David operations as the information at hand wouldn’t have to worry about my safety a formation spelling out the word P-R-I-D-E. Leebron, Dean of Undergraduates at that point indicated that while rain on the way home,” Goddard said. In addition to Rice students and alumni, the Bridget Gorman, Interim Provost was likely, the storm was expected to Axelson said that his car flooded participants also included four alumni from Seiichi Matsuda and the Thresher, move away from the city and toward earlier this school year while sitting in Baylor, according to Fisher, a Sid Richardson Drew Axelson, a Wiess College junior, the north and east,” Gorman said. West Lot 4 and with the conditions on College senior. said that he was frustrated with how “However, the rain began to intensify Thursday, he was worried about this According to Izzie Karohl, who participated the administration responded to the after 10 a.m., and reports of flooding SEE IMELDA PAGE 2 in the show, running onto the field was a liberating experience. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT “The Baylor folks booed when we asked them to reconsider their policy, but that’s as expected,” Karohl, a Will Rice College Moody Center’s exhibit shoots for the stars sophomore, said. “But the small cohort of ARELI NAVARRO MAGALLON means Rice University’s first contact According to Alison Weaver, the Rice people were cheering. My [resident THRESHER STAFF with the moon. Houston’s nickname, Moody Center not only asserts Rice’s associates] were cheering. I think that’s all Space City, exists in large part role within this historical context, that really mattered to me.” Friday’s classes may have been thanks to our university’s formative but that of the arts as well. According to Anna Conner, the vice belatedly canceled, but not even collaborations with NASA. “Moon “We hope to add artists to the list president of Gamma Alpha Upsilon, reactions Tropical Depression Imelda could Shot” greets visitors with a nod to of experts, and to complement these among Baylor students to the MOB’s halftime halt the launching of the Moody Rice’s unique legacy by displaying citywide events [that commemorate show have been mixed. Center for the Arts’ latest exhibit: an excerpt from John F. Kennedy’s the moon landing anniversary] by “Dr. Livingstone, our president, was there “Moon Shot.” Despite torrential stirring 1962 Rice Stadium speech. exploring the impact of the moon to see it, which was amazing,” Conner, a downpour, the opening reception Here, the late president lauds Rice landing on the visual and performing senior at Baylor, said. “Mostly, people have turned out a sizable crowd of visitors University, Houston and Texas arts,” Weaver, executive director of been happy about it, but ... I’ve seen [others] eager to partake in the Moody in the same breath with his bold the Moody Center, said. complaining about it and booing during the Center’s celebration of the 50th declaration. “No nation which “Moon Shot” begins by framing performance under the pretense of them anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 expects to be the leader of other the moon landing with a familiar cheering for their sports team.” moon landing. nations can expect to stay behind in historical slant. This show is, however, by no the race for space.” SEE MOB PAGE 3 SEE MOON SHOT PAGE 8 2 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 THE RICE THRESHER NEWS IMELDA FROM PAGE 1 9-11 a.m. Tests scheduled for Fall Hanszen public uses copyrighted logo happening to him again. Thursday morning were not “I walked through the water moved, however. tradition at Hanszen TikTok party”, according to Ari Vilker, to check on my car in West Lot, The storm also caused the Hanzen Public’s Logo bears a that hopefully people a Hanszen freshman. and saw many students and roof of a U.S. Postal Service can continue doing “I was walking with a couple of staff doing the same,” Axelson sorting and distribution center striking resemblence to years past us.” friends and then [someone said] ‘Wait, wrote. “For many students and in North Houston to collapse, TikTok’s Lights Out Tour As the first fall public isn’t that just the TikTok theme?’” underpaid [Housing and Dining] which led to delays in the party in the last four Vilker said. “And then they showed and facilities staff, our cars delivery of packages to campus, years, the social chairs me and I’m like, it’s kinda similar.” are our greatest asset, and we according to Joyce Bald, the met some challenges all know they’re not safe from Hanszen college coordinator. setting up “Lights Out,” flooding in Rice’s parking lots.” Gorman said that she and including the use of a According to Eric Rodriguez, the administration are open copyrighted logo from I think this the student maintenance to feedback about how they video platform TikTok’s representative for Will Rice handled this situation and will Lights Out summer tour company’s not gonna College, leaks began in the Old consider it in similar situations on its merchandise and take action against a Dorm ground floor and in one in the future. According to publicity. nonprofit like Rice. of the windows in the commons Gorman, she will be meeting The logo, which is a due to Thursday’s heavy rainfall. with leadership from the Student neon-outlined broken Jeremiah Murrell Student-run businesses Association early next week lightbulb, was used in HANSZEN COLLEGE SENIOR on campus shut down. Some regarding student feedback. BRIAN LIN the Facebook post for the event, as exams on Thursday and Friday “The safety, security and FOR THE THRESHER well as in tank-tops that were sold were postponed as well, wellbeing of the Rice community as merchandise leading up to the “Lights Out” was not the only including the first General is our first priority during a Hanszen College hosted “Lights event. Although there was a copyright time a copyrighted logo was used Chemistry test, originally significant weather event,” Out: Don’t Sleep on Hanszen,” infringement, it appears unlikely on campus, according to Marcus scheduled for Thursday Gorman said. “Any time our described as a “pajama party you that TikTok will act against Hanszen, Thompson, a sophomore and social night from 7-9 p.m. The test campus experiences such an don’t want to miss” on Facebook according to Murrell. chair at Hanszen, who pointed out was initially rescheduled for event, we review what happened with music from “three of the best “I think this company’s not gonna that references to pop culture are Friday, but then moved again and ask ourselves how we might DJs on campus.” As Hanszen’s first take action against a nonprofit like frequently used in Orientation Week to Saturday morning from improve our response.” fall public party in the last four years, Rice University,” Murrell, a senior, and Beer Bike merchandise, such as “Lights Out” was meant to change up said.