HARVEY Tearing Down to Build Up
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VOLUME 102, ISSUE NO. 2 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 HIT BY HARVEY Tearing down to build up EMILY ABDOW NEWS EDITOR / [email protected] Over 2,000 Rice students have signed up as volunteers through the Rice Harvey Action Team, according to Doerr Institute Director Tom Kolditz. Students and staf formed R-HAT to connect those in need with volunteer demolition teams that deconstruct damaged houses, Kolditz said. “Ironically, we had to cancel Outreach Day this past weekend and now we’re doing Out - reach Day every day,” Caroline Quenemoen, director of the Center for Civil Leadership, said. R-HAT is a collaboration between the Doerr Institute, CCL, Student Association and Gradu - ate Student Association, according to Kolditz. R-HAT’s eforts have ranged from smaller teams of students carpooling to worksites to 200 students riding buses to Crosspoint Church before heading out into local communities. The majority of R-HAT’s work has been concentrated in Bellaire, Meyerland and the Third Ward as those are the closest to Rice’s campus, Kolditz said. The Doerr Institute is footing the bill for relief eforts which currently amount to a few thousand dollars. Jones College senior Grace Jenkins coordinated with a local Black Lives Matter chapter to expand the reach of Rice’s volunteers. “Although I love the way we at Rice have been taking care of each other and our community, in volunteering with BLMHTX we can also work to support those who need it most,” Jenkins said. Youssef Machkas, who volunteered as part of a demolition team with BLMHTX, said he was struck by the optimism of the people whose homes were fooded . “Their houses were basically destroyed but it seemed like they were trying to stay positive,” Machkas, a Sid Richardson College senior, said. “That’s just the vibe I got, like they won’t let it sink them.” Ranjini Nagaraj helped a sixth grader clean out her bedroom. “[Her mother] told us that she had hidden many of her daughter’s belongings that had been ruined so that she wouldn’t be upset when the time came to throw them out,” Nagraj, a Jones College junior, said. “I can’t even imagine Courtesy riCe publiC AFFAirs And ChristinA tAn/thresher R -HAT CONT. ON PAGE 4 Students formed demolition teams to deconstruct houses damaged by food water and collected donations for food victims through the Rice Harvey Action Team and other initiatives. Over 2,000 students have signed up to volunteer through R-HAT. how I would handle a situation like this if I were SPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT H&D rides out storm Students weather Harvey together ELIZABETH RASICH important here. You all don’t ELIZABETH RASICH well as dodgeball against Wiess private spaces,” Liebster said. SPOTLIGHT EDITOR / [email protected] have any place to go. My family SPOTLIGHT EDITOR / [email protected] College. With all of the events held could leave if they needed to.” at Hanszen, Liebster said that “You have to, quite literally, During an emergency event Alyssa Alvis rode out it almost felt like Willy Week. tell your family ‘I can’t help like a hurricane, Housing and Hurricane Harvey at McMurtry Other students also took the you,’” Mark Ditman said. As Dining splits into two camps: College. There, she saw We had students lead in hosting activities to Associate Vice President of the rideout crew and the students adapt to the storm who are doing a good stave off boredom. Housing and Dining, he is one recovery crew. The rideout crew in a variety of ways: watching At Hanszen, sophomore of 50 H&D staff members who stays on or close to campus “Mulan,” playing Cards Against job of taking care of flute performance major Megan rode out Hurricane Harvey during the emergency to ensure Humanity, cheering on Rice each other, keeping Torti organized a spontaneous and its aftermath on campus that Rice students are cared football during the game against concert along with Hanszen alongside the students they for, and the recovery crew stays Stanford on Aug. 26. McMurtry themselves occupied sophomore Ben Lanners on helped feed and house. at home until the emergency students also gathered in without making any cello and Baker sophomore Susann Glenn, H&D’s is over, at which point they the commons to watch the Gregory Martin and Brown manager of communications, come back to work. Those with McGregor-Mayweather fight extra work for RUPD. sophomore David Danjul also stayed on campus while dependents to care for, such as and in the college’s movie room playing the piano. her family dealt with Hurricane small children or seniors, are for the “Game of Thrones” Clemente Rodriguez “We traded off and played Harvey at home. A third of the on the recovery crew. finale. RUPD Captain some flute and piano sonatas, houses in her neighborhood Glenn and Ditman said staff At Alvis’ home college cello and piano sonatas, and a fooded, and water crept up her typically volunteer to help in Hanszen, student government few works for cello, flute and driveway. these types of situations. planned out a number of events piano,” Torti said. “It was a “As a mom, it’s sometimes “I would argue that almost for the week. Hanszen External “It doesn’t seem like people great way to pass the time and hard to take care of 4,000 everybody here is not here Vice President Nikolas Liebster are sitting around on their own, those who were in the commons students while my kids are because they are required to be, said the college hosted movie but rather are coming together told me how much they enjoyed at home,” Glenn said. “But but because they chose to be screenings of “The Princess and fighting off boredom listening.” they know what we’re doing is H&D CONT. ON PAGE 9 Bride” and “Wonder Woman” as together, both in public and STUDENTS CONT. ON PAGE 7 2 NEWS OC students shelter on campus RUPD braves fooding EMILY ABDOW “My stuf was all safe because I live on ANNA TA could tell she was very afraid,” Tate said. NEWS EDITOR / [email protected] the 15th foor, but the building is still trying NEWS EDITOR / [email protected] “She didn’t speak much English, if any at to recover,” Todd said. “I apparently left all, but she knew that we were there to Many undergraduates living of campus just in time because the frst foor partially As Houston took on over 40 inches of help her. It was a good feeling.” moved into residential colleges during fooded while I was away, and I would’ve rain, Rice University Police Department REMS personnel Austin Cao and the hurricane, sleeping on couches and been stranded had I stayed much longer.” ofcers received helicopters flled Brenda Zhou were also paged to help infatable mattresses in every style of room. with evacuees from a hospital and a ofoad and transport patients to At Will Rice College, Anika Gautam’s nursing home, and waded into neck- Memorial Hermann hospital. 212-square-foot double was home to six Who knew two beds, a deep foodwaters in student rescues on “I thought this was a really cool people total as four of-campus friends came Sunday, Aug. 27. moment, to see the government, to wait out the storm together. mattress topper and a futon The Texas National Guard frst paramedics, RUPD, EMS, all sort of “While our spirits started out high, we could all ft? called RUPD dispatch at roughly 5:45 working together towards a common goal learned a lot more than we ever had in the p.m., requesting to land a helicopter in that came up only an hour ago,” Cao, last three years,” Gautam, a senior, said. Anika Gautam Greenbriar parking lot for three dialysis a Hanszen College senior, said. “I was “Harvey brought us closer together. Who Will Rice senior patients. Without warning, seven other defnitely very honored to be a part of knew two beds, a mattress topper and a helicopters quickly followed suit. that and I’m glad that we helped patients futon could all ft?” Rakesh Vijayakumar, who stayed in the Over 10 RUPD ofcers, along with Rice get out safely.” Some of-campus students who had not common area of a quad with four other Emergency Medical Services, helped In between rounds of helicopters left their apartments were rescued by the of-campus students, said he enjoyed the unload evacuees and patients over a two- coming in, RUPD ofcer Christopher Rice University Police Department. free servery food that began Friday, Aug. hour period, according to RUPD Chief Bick said he was able to take a moment A few rescues involved students in 25 and extending through Monday, Sept. 4, James Tate. to talk to evacuees from nursing homes apartment complexes that had fooded out, according to an email from Rice Dining. “When you see the faces of the folks who were carrying what possessions they according to Rice University Chief of Police “My roommate and I stocked up on food you’re helping, and how stressed they were able to salvage in large trash bags. James Tate. To reach these students, RUPD the Thursday before the hurricane but we are, but how they’re thankful, it puts it “It put it into perspective, how bad worked with the owner of a high-water only bought enough for about four days,” into perspective for you,” Tate said. “This everything was,” Bick said. “Just looking rescue vehicle who provided transportation Vijayakumar, a Brown junior, said.