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Tuesday, March 11, 2025 — Houston, TX

Features

FEATURES 10/8/24 10:45pm

Go outside, touch grass

By Amelia Davis

Have you asked yourself, “How many more buildings can Rice construct before losing its classification as an arboretum?” Have you thought that the campus squirrels are a little too bold around humans? If you’re sick of constant construction marring the on-campus flora and fauna, Houston has plenty of student-friendly destinations to get your fix of green. 

FEATURES 10/1/24 10:55pm

From Scratch to Sups, Samir Walji innovates

By Adhira Tippur

When Samir Walji first started coding Scratch games in middle school, he never imagined he’d run a startup used by students in over 138 countries one day. Now studying computer science at Rice, Walji has turned his passion for building things into Sups, an award-winning, AI-powered college application platform.

FEATURES 10/1/24 10:53pm

Students talk CCD amid recruitment season

By Veronica Yang

As students settle into the fall semester, the hustle and bustle on campus is not just limited to midterms, club applications and football games — it’s also marked by recruitment season. The race for internships and positions of employment has officially begun.

FEATURES 9/25/24 12:03am

Language tables host reminders of home

By Lily Harvey

Listening to “Baby Shark” in Korean, discussing energy drinks in Spanish, painting lanterns and eating mooncakes at Chinese tea time – Rice’s language tables are home to a variety of cultural activities and opportunities for student connection.

FEATURES 9/25/24 12:01am

Drip(s) through the decades

By Sophie Garlick

The year is 1958; the time period, B.C. — Before Coffee. Long ahead of us are the days where caffeine becomes a language unto itself and your intake status equates your current mood. 

FEATURES 9/24/24 11:59pm

Latine Heritage Month serves conversation, community, carne

By Noa Berz

When I walked into the Carne Asada Social last Friday evening, I was met with the pungent aroma of grilled meats, bumping music and a line that stretched the entire perimeter of the Multicultural Center’s courtyard. The event was inspired by a tradition of good food, drink and company found throughout Latin America, and it’s one of Latine Heritage Month’s most well attended, I learned from Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers socials coordinator Brian Mercado. 

FEATURES 9/18/24 12:36am

Shifting the status quo: Campus activism, protests change over time

By Amy Li

Last week, the academic quad reopened after nearly a year of reconstruction, kickstarted by the decision to relocate the Founder’s Memorial statue. Protests for the statue’s removal began Aug. 31, 2020, and continued for a year and a half before the Board of Trustees announced their decision to remove the statue on Jan. 25, 2022.

FEATURES 9/17/24 11:12pm

Planning to plan?

By Garrett Pirretti

The firm conviction that this year is the year that you finally get organized hasn’t yet been crushed by the cruel realities of the semester. What better time to think about planners?

FEATURES 9/17/24 11:11pm

Baker 13 celebrates 50 years of fun and foam

By Lajward Zahra

This month marks the 50th anniversary of Baker 13, one of Rice’s most famous traditions. What started as a streak in the spring of 1974 has evolved into a regular event where students don nothing but shaving cream and run through campus, continuing a legacy that blends spontaneity, humor and camaraderie.

FEATURES 9/10/24 11:09pm

Operations research boom reaches Rice

By Amelia Davis

Students outside the engineering department and those especially averse to fulfilling their Group III distribution requirements may be unaware of the growing presence of operations research – or even what it is. 

FEATURES 9/10/24 11:07pm

Bird is the word: Avian advocates urge awareness

By Thomas Pickell

Rice students’ lives are intertwined with avian life, from our mascot Sammy the Owl to the many birds that inhabit our thousands of trees. Recently, a group of students and faculty have raised concerns about the safety of birds at Rices and the unintended dangers campus architecture may pose.

FEATURES 9/3/24 10:54pm

‘PR for Jesus:’ Across the spectrum of Rice’s Christian student organizations

By Sarah Knowlton

For those who frequent Rice public parties, there is no sight more beloved at the end of the night than a tent and a whiteboard. Underneath this tent, the intoxicated can indulge in fresh pancakes from the Baptist Student Ministry and attempt to consider the faith-related question on the nearby whiteboard, often encouraging students to vote with a tally mark. Also available —  a fleet of golf carts and sober drivers to chauffeur the more inebriated students safely home.

FEATURES 9/3/24 10:53pm

Unpacking back to school necessities (and absurdities)

By Amelia Davis

Whether you’re a freshman feeling not-so-fresh right out of Orientation Week or a fifth-year senior desperately trying to graduate this semester, there’s no doubt: In your packing frenzy, you have forgotten something. Whether that is all your socks (urgent) or simply packing your collection of emotional support Pokémon cards (to be honest, also pretty urgent), you may be wishing for a helpful guide on how to prepare for your first weeks back to school. What to buy, what to do, what to wear: find your answers here. 

FEATURES 8/27/24 11:08pm

Jimmy DeNicco on empathy and economics

By Sam Balakrishnan

Jimmy DeNicco never thought he would be a professor – he had his sights set on working for policy makers in Washington D.C. A graduate school requirement to teach a class won his heart, changing the trajectory of his career. 

FEATURES 4/16/24 11:07pm

Peggy Whitson breaks the glass ceiling, lands among the stars

By Noah Berz

Peggy Whitson has spent more time in space than any other American. She was the first female, nonmilitary Chief of the Astronaut Office for NASA and the first woman commander of the International Space Station, but despite all her success, Whitson denies any claims of special talent or giftedness. Above all else, she said, hard work and perseverance brought her to the top. 

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