The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 12, Ed. 1 Monday, November 22, 1999 Page: 1 of 4
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the Rice Thresher
Vol. LXXXVII, Issue No. 11 — EXTRA
SINCE 1916
Monday, November 22, 1999
Baker senior Sergio Vargas dies in Waller County
by Brian Stoler
I IIRi.SHKR UHTORIAI.S'IAIT
Friends remembered Baker College se-
nior Sergio Vargas as an intelligent, vital man
and an outstanding writer at a gathering at
Baker House on Sunday.
Vargas died late Wednesday or early T11 u rs-
day off Interstate 10 in Waller County, west of
Houston. The Harris County medical exam-
iner said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot
wound. Vargas was 22.
Baker Masters Jim and Chris Copeland
organized Sunday's gathering to give friends
a time to'recognize Vargas and "to tell Sergio
stories," Jim Copeland said.
A group of Baker students, the masters and
the residential associates attended a memo-
rial service for Vargas at 2 p.m. today, in his
hometown of New Braunfels.
Vargas lived off campus and [post of his
social life was outside of Rice.
Friends at Baker talked about what they
IN MEMORIAM
The campus will observe a moment of
silence for Sergio Vargas at 12:30 p.m.
tomorrow. The Rice Chapel Dells will ring
to signify'the start of the remembrance.
remembered most about Vargas. "After talk-
ing with hirp for a brief amount of time, you
could tell that he was a really intelligent guy,"
senior Ben Rhodes, one of Vargas' former
suitemates, said.
But he also went out and had a good time,
they said. "He liked to party, but he balanced
it with school," friend Frankie Vasquez-Har-
ris, a senior, said.
"He always had something to say — he was
always making wisecracks," senior Eric Brown
said.
Vargas was also a member of the Rice
men's rugby club team, playing hooker. He
was aggressive on the field, but often missed
practices and games without explanation. "His
attendance was sporadic at times," Brown, a
fellow member of the rugby team, said.
"He'd have good weeks where he'd show
up for all the practices and games, and then
he'd skip practice — I assumed it was because
he was busy. So'when he didn't show up for
practice on Thursday, we didn't think much
about it," Brown said.
Vargas' attendance in classes was also
spotty, his teachers said. But, "He was a good
student when he did work," Baker Resident
Associate and Hispanic and Classical Studies
lecturer Ingrid Hansz said. "He was really
smart and he wrote well."
Other teachers also praised Vargas' writ-
ing ability. Sociology Professor Bill Martin
taught Vargas, a sociology major, in three
classes and considered him a close friend.
"I thought, quite probably, he was the most
talented writer I have seen in my 32 years at
See VARGAS, Page 4
Sergio Vargas
m
Men's basketball escapes
with 70-64 overtime win
by Ryan Keedy
! HRESHl.R S i'AlT
CARTER BROOKING/THRESHER
Senior guard Maria Brumfield, who led all players with seven steals, applies pressure defense against Illinois State,
Lady Owls ride defense to opening win
Women's team seeks revenge tomorrow in showdown at Texas Tech
~ • 7 half anH fnrrincx IS mnrf tnrniwpr^ nf th# ir 'a\\pmnts TTipQwarminaOw
by Chris Larson
I HK1-.SHI-.H KIH10K1A1. STAKF
The Rice women's basketball
team made a successful season de-
but Friday night, using hustle and
determination to fight through first-
game jitters before overpowering
Illinois State University 66-51.
"Everybody was playing a little
nervous," sophomore forward Aarika
Florus said. "Once we got into the
game and got warmed up, the jitters
went away and we just played."
The Lady Owls opened with their
trademark defensive intensity in the
first half, forcing 15 turnovers, but
they couldn't find the mark offen-
sively, connecting on only 11 of 33
attempts. Eleven first-half points by
senior guard Maria Brumfield
helped the Owls head into the locker
room facing just a 31-29 deficit.
"It's not like we didn't have the
shots," Florus said. "We just weren't
putting them in. In the second half,
we started making our shots."
Senior guard Jenny Cafferty
nailed a three-pointer with 14 min-
utes, six seconds left to play to give
the Lady Owls their first lead. A
minute later, a jumper by senior for-
ward Kim Smallwood gave them the
lead for good.
Rice's defense then shut down
the Redbirds, holding them to just
eight for 22 shooting in the second
half and forcing 15 more turnovers.
Senior forward Kirra Jordan pulled
down 11 rebounds and Smallwood
added nine to help Rice dominate
the glass and post a 47-31 rebound-
ing advantage. Brumfield led Rice in
scoring with 17 points on eight of 17
shooting.
"It was definitely our defense,"
Brumfield said. "We played a lot
harder defense than we did in the
exhibition game. In the second half,
we were able to capitalize off of our
defense and wore them down."
"We kept after things and never
gave up," Florus said. "The shots
weren't going in but we
outrebounded them and battled
them until the shots went in."
Compensating for poonsheoting
with defense and rebounding is noth-
ing new for the Lady Owls, who were
outshot in 21 of 32 games fast season
yet still posted a 20-12 record.
While they were able to over-
come their shooting Friday, how-
ever, things need to be different to-
morrow when Rice goes to Lubbock
to face national power Texas Tech *
University.
Last year, the lady Owls headed
into a home matchup against Texas
Tech pumped up and ready to estab-
lish themselves as a program of na-
tional prominence. But weak shoot-
ing again plagued the Lady Owls,
who connected on just 34.4 percent
of their attempts. The swarming Owl
defense, meanwhile, couldn't faze
the composed Lady Red Raiders,
who shot 56 percent for the game,
outrebounded the Lady Owls, and
coasted to a 79-57 victory. Texas
Tech went on to post a 30-4 record
and advance to the "sweet 16" of the
NCAA tournament.
But Rice has reason to believe
this year could be different. Texas
Tech lost three starters, while Rice
retains a strong core of senior lead-
ership in Cafferty, Jordan, Brumfield
and Smallwood.
"They're a different team from
last year, but they're still ranked in
the top 25, which is good for us,"
Brumfield said. "We're quicker than
them, and our fullcourt defensive
pressure will be a big key."
But the lady Red Raiders still
pose one of the stiffest challenges of
the season for the lady Owls. Cur-
rently ranked 23rd nationally, Texas
Tech opened its season with a 56-49
win over 14th-ranked Louisiana State
University. last year, Texas Tech
wafc a perfect 14-0 at home.
"Texas Tech is always a really
good team," Florus said. "Last year
we weren't as intense as this year
and our shooting percentages have
gotten better. To go into their house
and play them is an amazing experi-
ence and it should be a good boost
for our program."
■ oiisidering how ugly much ol
Mn. gamr was, the final score, sure
a ; ■ a beautiful sight.to see.
The Rice men's basketball team
r.et-di .! overtime, but won its first
traiiu- of the season Friday night at
Auiry Court against the U.S. Naval
Academy by a score of 70-64. The
"win avenges a 78-61 Rice loss at Navy
last season.
The victory is a solid one for the
()wls, as the Midshipmen have made
appearances in the NCAA tourna-
ment the past two seasons.
Playing from behind for most of
the game, the Owls hung close long
enough to eventually grind out the
win. Each of Rice's four returning
players filled in exactly when and
where he was needed.
Senior center Alex Bougaieffwas
the closest player on either team to
a double-double, scoring 14 points
and garnering 9 rebounds.
BougaiefTs early points were cru-
cial, because while he hit his first
three shots, his teammates missed
their first 10.
With the Midshipmen charging
out of the gates to an early 9-2 lead.
Bougaieff s consistency kept Rice in.
the game and prevented an early
blowout.
Junior point guard Mike Wilks
wasn't dazzling, converting just two
of nine field goal attempts, but he
did a good job of getting everyone
else involved. His seven assists wen•
a game high, and he had an impres-
sive six rebounds without playing
underneath the boards.
Junior forward Erik Cooper's 19
points were another game high,
and his fadeaway shot with 30 sec-
onds left "sent the game to over
time.
H<? also hit three three-pointers
in the middle of the second half to
help the Owls recover from an a 36-
29 deficit about five minutes into the
second half.
Junior forward Shawn Tyndell
stepped up his game in overtime.
He nailed a three-pointer to erase
Navy's final lead of the game and
followed with a jumper to open the
lead to five and seal the victorv for
Rice.
After managing just three points in
regulation, Tyndell, who averaged just
3.2 points per game last season, fin-
ished with eight points in overtime.
See OWLS, Page 3
GSA votes in favor of single-
sex domestic partner benefits
by Olivia Allison
THRESHER STAFF
Hie Graduate Student Associa-
tion unanimously passed a resolu-
tion Thursday requesting same-sex
domestic partner benefits for fac-
ulty and staff, making it the fourth
representative body at Rice to offi-
cially endorse such a resolution.
"Students take yery seriotisly
Rice's nondiscrimination policy and
feel that gay and lesbian staff are not
being compensated equitably for
their work," said graduate student
Deborah Needlemar Armintor.
Armintor presented the resolution
to the GSA and serves on the ad hoc
committee for same-sex domestic
partner benefits.
The Student Association passed
a similar resolution Nov. 15, and the
Staff Advisory Council sent an offi-
cial letter to the administration in
October.
The Faculty Council passed a
resolution in 1997 that Rice should
offer same-sex domestic partner
benefits by the 1998-'99 fiscal year.
The support the resolution has
gotten from all of the representative
bodies sends a strong message to
the administration, said French Stud-
ies Professor Lynn Hulfer, a mem-
ber yj the ad hoc committee tor same-
sex domestic partner benefits.
"It sends an important message
that there is strong support for
changing and adopting this type of
See GSA, Page 4
EXTRA
This extra issue of The Rice Thresher was produced in order to bgjng
breaking news to the attention of the Rice community in a timely
manner. The last regular issue of the tall semester will appear Dec. 3.
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McAlister, Jett & Tam, Mariel. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 12, Ed. 1 Monday, November 22, 1999, newspaper, November 22, 1999; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246663/m1/1/: accessed March 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.