COVID-19

Rice student businesses reopen in light of new COVID-19 policies

Student-run businesses Rice Coffeehouse, The Hoot, Rice Bikes and East-West Tea are reopening for the semester, in light of new and evolving COVID protocols. Jinhee Shin, general manager of Rice Coffeehouse, said that business had been especially high since reopening on Wednesday, Jan. 26.

In-person classes to resume Jan. 24 as dining and alcohol restrictions continue

Most courses will shift to in-person instruction on Jan. 24, according to an announcement from Provost Reginald DesRoches and Chair of the Crisis Management Advisory Committee Kevin Kirby. Restrictions on indoor dining and drinking may continue for two more weeks, Kirby and Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman said.

Rice adjusts to record-high COVID cases as students begin return

More than 326 Rice community members tested positive for COVID-19 from Jan. 3 to Jan. 10 as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly across the country. Through the entirety of the 2020-2021 academic year, Rice reported 367 cases. In response to the rise in cases, President David Leebron and Provost Reginald DesRoches announced over email that the first two weeks of most classes will be online. They also asked students to delay their return to campus, prohibited indoor dining, required vaccine boosters and reimplemented a full indoor mask mandate.

Rice requires boosters for students and employees

All students and employees eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster are required to get one as soon as possible, unless granted a medical or religious exemption, according to an email from President David Leebron and Provost Reginald DesRoches.

Classes to be online for first two weeks, booster now required

Courses will be delivered online for the first two weeks of the spring semester, and vaccine boosters will be required for all employees and students effective Jan. 10, according to an email sent Dec. 26 by President David Leebron and Provost Reginald DesRoches. This announcement follows a recent mask mandate reimplemented amidst the spread of the Omicron variant.

Indoor mask mandate, in-person gathering restrictions reinstated

Following a spike in COVID-19 cases last week, Rice has reinstated its indoor mask mandate and prohibited any in-person gatherings with more than five people, according to an email sent this morning by Kevin Kirby, chair of the Crisis Management Advisory Committee. 

Rice to provide vaccine clinic for community members on Dec. 3

Rice will be providing one final vaccine clinic on Dec. 3, partnering with the Houston Health Department to have 400 vaccine slots available for the Rice community. Three previous clinics were held on Nov. 4, Nov. 5 and Nov. 12.

Mapping Rice’s COVID-19 policy changes throughout the fall semester

Rice community discusses classroom mask policy continuation

Rice reports that the classroom mask mandate will most likely continue for the semester despite there being no evidence of transmission in the classroom, according to Kevin Kirby, the Crisis Management Advisory Committee chair. Some professors have said they prefer for the mask mandate to remain in place, due to the state of COVID in Houston.

Administration lifts indoor alcohol ban in residential colleges

Rice is now permitting indoor consumption of alcohol in residential colleges if students abide by the rules and expectations in Rice’s Alcohol Policy, according to an email sent by Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman on Oct. 15. Alcohol restrictions on cross-college events will still remain in effect. 

SJP to handle cases of students abusing COVID-19 accommodations

Student Judicial Programs will handle disciplinary cases for students suspected of abusing Rice’s COVID-19 isolation policies, according to SJP Director Emily Garza. Garza and Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman told the Thresher that they are not aware of any reports of student misconduct with respect to COVID-19 accommodations.

Masks no longer required for indoor gatherings less than 10

Masks will now be required indoors only for gatherings of 10 or more people, according to an email sent by Crisis Management Advisory Committee Chair Kevin Kirby on Oct. 11.

Majority of classes return to in-person instruction this week and next

The majority of classes with 50 or more students will transition back to in-person learning between Sept. 20 and Sept. 27, following an email from the Office of the Provost announcing this return. Previously, courses with 50 or more students were kept online, even as other classes returned to in-person learning after the second week of the semester, according to an email from the Office of the Provost on Sept. 2.

Houston hospitals near capacity as delta variant spreads

The rising number of COVID-19 cases at Rice so far this school year reflects the severity of the latest surge of the pandemic within the Houston area. According to data provided by the Texas Medical Center, August saw a record-high number of Covid patients hospitalized at the Texas Medical Center, along with 69,174 confirmed cases countywide — second only to the 71,996 cases in January, when less than three percent of Harris County residents were vaccinated.

Isolation space runs low as Rice reports 52 COVID cases in one week

Between Aug. 22 and 29, 52 people tested positive for COVID-19, according to Rice’s COVID-19 dashboard, with 40 testing positive on campus and 12 through off campus testing. Approximately 30 percent of cases were traced back to one campus event, according to a campuswide email from Kevin Kirby, chair of the crisis management advisory committee.

Administration imposes indoor alcohol ban

​​The Crisis Management Advisory Committee and the Office of the Dean of Undergraduates have enacted an indoor alcohol ban, effective immediately until further notice, according to multiple emails from college magisters. This follows a previous recent transition back to wet campus after the announcement of false positive cases.

Administration imposes indoor alcohol ban effective immediately

The Crisis Management Advisory Committee and the Office of the Dean of Undergraduates have enacted an indoor alcohol ban effective immediately and until further notice, according to multiple emails from college magisters obtained by the Thresher. 

Rice reports around 50 students as positive due to test site error, disrupting O-Week activities

Rice reported around 50 cases that were mistakenly detected by a specific testing site as positive for COVID-19, according to an announcement sent by Kevin Kirby, chair of the Crisis Management Committee. This situation led to several students unnecessarily isolating or quarantining during Orientation Week.

Classes delayed by two days, all online for two weeks

Classes will begin two days later than planned on August 25, and instruction will be all online for at least the first two weeks of the semester, according to an email from Provost Reginald DesRoches. This change follows a recent rise in COVID-19 cases on campus, as well as across the Houston area as the delta variant becomes more predominant, according to DesRoches.

Indoor masks, testing requirements reimposed and publics cancelled next fall

Rice will require everyone to wear masks indoors on campus, according to Kevin Kirby, chair of the crisis management advisory committee. Also, fully vaccinated people who come to campus must test at least once every two weeks, while unvaccinated people must test twice a week, Kirby wrote in a campus-wide email.