sperosVOL. 5 ISSUE 1 ESTABLISHED 2011 FALL 2014

Violent Femmes Play to Win1

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O-Week

Martel Government

Violent Femmes

Letter from the Masters

RA Farewell and Welcome

Martel studies abroad

Letter from the Editors

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Martel Class of 2018 had all of their dreams fulfilled with The Other Side of the PillO-Week! This year’s new students were introduced to the Martel community by O-Week Coordinators Thomas Plackemeier, Elizabeth Sok, and Matt Holloway. As the coordinators put it, “Our mission for Martel O-Week 2014 is to create a community at Martel that is beyond inclusive and accepting, but is integrative and appreciative of every individual. Our O-Week should do more than meet the new students’ expectations and hopes. It should fulfill their dreams about what Rice can be for them. Every new student should gain knowledge of, and access to, the resources necessary to achieve their Rice dream.” And the new students are well on their way to achieving their Rice dreams! Along with the usual Maptek, Martel Matriculation, and

Mock Beer Bike on the sundeck, freshmen enjoyed some new traditions like Rice Rally in Tudor Fieldhouse. Co-advisor Sean Dilliard, Sid Richardson Class of 2017, shared his experience with experiencing Martel’s culture: “Co-advising was really a rewarding experience. Not only was I exposed to a totally new, and I might say incredible, college culture, but I was also able to create very valuable friendships with both advisors and new students.” Sean said his favorite Martel tradition to be a part of was the matriculation ceremony.“I’m a sucker for classy gatherings, so getting to dress up and chill on the sundeck is a solid party in my book. Also, Sid doesn’t have any traditions quite like that, so having such a formal welcome to the Martel family for the new students is pretty awesome.

Martel Events

The Other Side of the PillO-Week:Living out the Dream

Martel Violent Femmes powderpuff team rallies before a game. To read more about the successes of these lovely ladies on the field, see page 3.

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Among our favorite events we host at the Masters house is the “Tea with the Masters” series we instituted a few years back. Houston is such a great and dynamic city, and we thought it would be fun to reach out to distinguished members from the Houston community and invite them for afternoon tea, scones, and conversation at the Masters house to meet and chat with Martel students. We try to keep the size of the event small, less than two dozen students, so that there is time and space for intimate conversation. We usually host about two teas a semester. In the past, we have had the pleasure of hosting several foreign diplomats, politicians, businessmen, entrepreneurs, research physicians, art ambassadors, a judge, and even a NASA astronaut. We have enjoyed all of these events and the guests always leave incredibly impressed with our students.

One of our favorites was this fall when we hosted Rice Chemistry Professor Emeritus Dr. Bob Curl. Dr. Curl’s research inspired

Richard Smalley to come to Rice, with the intention of collaborating with Dr. Curl. And what a collaboration this was! Dr. Curl was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 along with Richard Smalley and Sir. Harold Kroto of the University of Sussex for “the discovery of new forms of carbon, in which the atoms are arranged in closed shells.” Dr. Curl was also the first Master of Lovett College and, in addition to his other research, he currently does frontier research in economics! There is no one we can think of who represents what is great about our institution better than Professor Curl. A source of pride and inspiration to us all, he is the most distinguished member of our scholarly community and, at the same time, one of the most humble. We can only hope that Rice will be smart and resourceful enough to attract and retain faculty according to the high standards set for us by Professor Curl.

Tea with Professor Curl

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Reflecting on my role as Prime Minister this year, I would say that it is a bigger role than I anticipated. It felt as if right after changeover, I had my plate full of duties I had to fulfill. I sent out a survey to the outgoing committee chairs to gather feedback and comments from the chairs to get an idea of what areas needed improvement and how I could best help the new chairs. I had to send out the application for the new committee chairs (currently there are 17 committees) , review their applications, and notify them of their new duties. One of my goals was to improve the changeover system; this year. It is known that certain committees host more events than others, and for that reason I also made sure to place four co-chairs for Associates, Culturals, and Spirits committees. After the selection of the new chairs, I also had to meet with each committee along with the treasurers and draft up the budget for the year. Lastly, the Fall Planning session was hosted at the Masters house where the dates for fall events were proposed from committees, class representatives, Masters, and RAs. Another one of my goals was to place a visual calendar in the commons so Martel could know what

events are coming up on a weekly basis. With the help of H&D, the calendar is now hanging in the Martel commons, and it highlights events committees host as well as events Martelians are involved in, such as recitals, plays, and games. I believe this has been the most visual accomplishment the college has seen from my role. I hope the role of the Prime Minister will be more widely known in the college in the future. In addition to selecting committees, working with the House of Commons (class representatives), contributing to the budget planning, administering the Martel calendar, the role also includes overseeing all appointed roles (with the exception of the floor lords) and fulfilling the (internal) duties of the President when needed. I also hope that the visual calendar in the commons continues or expands to a monthly calendar. In sum, my time so far as Prime Minister has been busy! I am lucky to be working with great individuals and I am sure the next Prime Minister will accomplish great things.

PM Crystal Writes In

Ted and Beata

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Violent Femmes Dominate in a Successful Season

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This fall, the Martel Violent Femmes had one of their most successful powderpuff football season in the history of the college. The team made it all the way to the final championship game, where they ultimately lost to Lovett College after a hard-fought battle. The Violent Femmes’ unprecedented success has been attributed to the mental fortitude of the team, the dedication of the players and coaches, and the support from enthusiastic members of Martel College. Nneoma Elendu, finishing up her last semester at Rice, stated, “This will be my 3rd year playing for Martel. I wasn’t sure I was going to play this season, but am so glad I did. Powderpuff has been one of my favorite things at Martel, so this season was the perfect farewell.”

Interview with Coach Sean LaBaw:

What have been the highlights of the season for you? This season has had its ups and downs. While this Violent Femmes team was one of the most successful in Martel history, we also had a lot of injuries, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. I was extremely impressed with the way everybody on the team bounced back from our misfortunes. A lot of players had to learn new positions just as they were getting used to their old ones. Additionally, rumors led to us having a reputation for being particularly vicious which led to heckling from other teams. To sum it up, my highlight of the season was the mental fortitude of the team and their ability to maintain intensity despite setbacks. This was realized in our playoff game against the GSA, beating the only team we lost to in the regular season at our most injured state.

What do you think are the team’s strengths? One of our biggest strengths this season was our ability to adapt. Many times when our defensive schemes weren’t working, the players would come to the sideline, give the coaches feedback, the coaches would come up with adjustments and the players would be able to make the adjustments, usually to great success. When injuries happened, we had to put in new players and new defensive schemes. Our ability to adapt to and overcome challenges enabled us to progress so far in the season.

How much time and practice was invested in this season? The Violent Femmes had two hour and a half practices every week during the regular season. Additionally, most weeks had some sort of optional practice. The captains and coaches also put in a lot of work

outside of our normal practice and game times in order to make sure that everything ran smoothly.

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Martel thanks CATLEG & Welcomes RAs

“We are Jesse and Gelatia and we are thrilled to be new RAs for Martel College. We look forward to getting to know everyone, sharing awesome experiences, and helping to positively influence your experience at Rice. Jesse is part of the Center for Civic Leadership team and also the Undergraduate advisor for the Certificate in Civic Leadership. He is from Seattle, Washington and permanently settled in Houston 2 years ago from NYC. He is loving the warm weather, southern cooking, and laid back pace of life in Houston. Jesse is a sports enthusiast and had the opportunity to compete professionally following his undergraduate years. Jesse enjoys playing basketball, all water sports, all winter sports, and going to sporting events. One thing you will learn about Jesse as you get to know him better is that he loves to eat all types of food and can put away large amounts of food in one

sitting. Gelatia was born and raised in Houston, TX. She is the dental director at Access Health. When she is not working on people’s teeth, she enjoys reading, watching documentaries, movies, and reality television. Despite being a dentist, Gelatia definitely has a sweet tooth and is addicted to coffee. Her favorite things to do on the weekends are brunch and happy hour. We just had our baby boy, Matiyas, in October and he has been keeping us BUSY! We can’t wait to see our son experience life on Rice’s campus among all the students and activities. We encourage you to stop by and get to know us. We are here for you when you need help or advice, just want to chat over coffee, or even play with Matiyas. Here’s to an awesome year!”--Jesse and Gelatia

Ben works at the Baker Institute as the policy assistant to the director and a research assistant for the institute’s programs on U.S. policy in the Middle East and Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution. Taylor is an assistant county attorney for Harris Health System. Outside of work, we enjoy walking our dog P. Seamus (the P is short for ‘Popeye’), watching one of our favorite movies or tv shows, and running around the loop or in the gym. We’re currently training for the Houston Half (Taylor) and Full (Ben) Marathon this January. We really enjoy living in Houston and trying out new restaurants, museum exhibits or breweries around the city.

We’re both graduates of Rice and Martel College. While at Rice, we each spent one semester abroad. Taylor lived in Freiburg, Germany where she studied the politics of the European Union,

visited everywhere from Estonia to Spain, and hung out at the beer gardens (occasionally). Ben went to Morocco as part of a program on international migration and spent four months living with a family in Rabat, studying Moroccan Arabic, and riding camels (once). After graduating, Ben went to Washington, D.C. for graduate school in Arab Studies at Georgetown University before returning to Houston in 2012. Taylor worked on a political campaign in Houston for a year, then moved to Austin for law school. She graduated from UT Law and came back to Houston in 2013. We’re excited to be back at Martel in a new role and looking forward to getting to know everyone and hosting cookouts, movie nights, and the like throughout the semester.”--Ben and Taylor

Ben & Taylor Jesse & Gelatia

The RA team of Adrienne, Thiago, and their son Caio, as well as Grant, Lauren, and their son Elliot is moving on to greater endeavors. Martel bade them a thankful goodbye at the RA Farewell Soiree. Martelians will forever be grateful for all the open house events, reverse trick-or-treating, study breaks, personal support, and more. We wish CATLEG best of luck in the future and hope to continue seeing them around Martel! We also welcome our new sets of RA’s: Ben & Taylor, and Jesse & Gelatia!

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"Hey there Martel! For those of you who don't know me I'm a sophomore studying Political Science and French and I'm currently studying abroad in Paris, France. This semester I've taken several history and art history classes, including one that is basically all about US foreign policy during the Cold War, but from the French perspective. I'm even taking a yoga class - all in French! Apart from classes I've also started to travel around Europe. So far this semester I've visited Athens, Rome, Florence, Venice, and Prague and I've already started planning out my trips for next semester. (Ireland,

anyone??) In Paris I live with a host family, a lovely old widow who likes to protest as all French do (which unfortunately leads to me angrily debating for the rights of gay couples to adopt children) and I live in a cute little apartment off the Champs Élysées - the street that greets me with the beautiful view of the giant Louis Vuitton store (aka nothing I can afford!) Feel free to ask me any questions about studying abroad on Facebook and to check out my blog floodingtheworld.com to read all about my adventures. I miss all of you Martelians--see you all next fall!" --Emily Flood, Class of 2017

Fall 2014 Study Abroad: Martelians Expand their Horizons

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“Four months down, and I’ve managed not to get kicked out of Japan, get hopelessly lost, or die from a food allergy. I’ll consider this first semester a success. Flying out of Houston on my 14 hour flight, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Despite reading as much as I could, stalking previous students’ blogs, and generally trying to prepare to the greatest extent possible, I was still apprehensive about this whole “living in a foreign country” thing. However, on the other side of that uncertainty, I can genuinely say that these have been some of the best experiences in my life so far. It’s difficult trying to sum up this past semester without generalizing too much, but, from day one,

it’s been a great feeling walking around and having everything you see or do be an entirely new experience. While there’s certainly something to be said for enjoying the safe and familiar, there’s a true joy in experiencing the novel and the unknown. The occasional day spent doing nothing aside, it’s been a whirlwind of field trips, school, and adventures with friends, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I’m coming back to Japan at the end of March, but I’m going to be really happy being back at home for a few months. More specifically, my friends, my dogs, and, truthfully, Whataburger. Some things just can’t be replaced.”--Chris Johnson, Class of 2016

“Hola Martel! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a junior Statistics major and I’m currently studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador. I wasn’t about to study math in Spanish, so I’m here studying Public Health! It’s been a nice break from the problem sets I’m used to. Outside of classes, I’ve been doing an internship with a women’s rights NGO on their projects for sexual health education. Teen pregnancy rates are high here, and the government isn’t exactly doing the best job addressing the issue. I’m living with a host family, which is definitely my favorite thing about life here! My mamíta and 2 younger sisters are a blast to spend time with. They’ve given me

the opportunity to experience Ecuadorian culture and have really helped me improve my

Spanish. We eat soup with every meal, kiss on the cheek hello and goodbye, and I even had the chance to eat guinea pig – a special occasion meal for Ecuadorians! (Actually delicious!) Ecuador is a tiny country (think the size of Colorado), but is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. The small size makes it easy to travel! I’ve gone whale watching on the coast, snorkeling in the Galapagos, biked to beautiful waterfalls, hiked a crater, visited rose and banana plantations, gone white-water rafting in the Amazon, and more. While I’m not quite ready to leave the laid-back lifestyle I have here, I am excited to be back home at Martel! See you all in January!”--Shannon McKearnan, Class of 2016

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Letter from the Editors: As our tyrannical reign comes to an end, we wistfully reflect upon the hours languishing with InDesign and the skillful, yet somewhat concerning, stalking of the Martel Historian. The time has come to pass on the Speros name to the next generation of editors. The time has come to disappear into the shrouded mountains and train the brave folk who dare to design. The time has come for you to join us. Join us, friends: whether you are a sharp writer, a talented photographer, or a creative designer. No experience with InDesign is necessary-- it’s really better that way who doesn’t love to learn new things? (You can even put it on your LinkedIn!) We can’t wait to see a new group of Martelians guide Speros to glory. If you’re interested in becoming an editor next year, just send any one of us an email and we’d love to sit down in the Commons and discuss the job.

Anita AlemBioengineeringClass of 2017Hobbies: Arguing, being disgruntled, cooking, knitting. 65 year-old grandmother on the inside. Ask her for food!

Catherine MillerHistory and German StudiesClass of 2017Hobbies: Bad puns, spending too much time on tumblr, enthusing about the humanities, eating Lucky Charms

Kevin CzachuraEcology & Evolutionary BiologyClass of 2017Hobbies: Being sassy but heartfelt at the same time, talking about critical tropical foodcrops, going to museums

This year, the Martel Associates Committee debuted a brand new event to bring together students and associates--a chocolate tasting party! The night began with a presentation about the process of chocolate making led by our special guest chocolatier, Stefano Zullian. Attendees learned about the origins of chocolate, starting from its harvest as cacao beans all the way to its transformation into artisan chocolate truffles with flavor fusions like chipotle and passion fruit. Zullian, who is the owner and founder of Araya Artisan Chocolate, also explained his unique journey into the chocolate business which was a big change from his first career as an engineer. His story showed students just how sweet following your passions and taking a leap of faith can be! We saved the best part for last at the end of the presentation when all chocolate lovers got to try different types of raw chocolate and artisan truffles. This was definitely one yummy evening! Thanks to all who helped make this event possible, especially Stefano Zullian and Araya Artisan Chocolate. We hope chocolate tasting becomes a steadfast tradition for the classiest college! -Shireen Usman, Class of 2015

Associates Chocolate Tasting