Features

Queer in the Country: Rice students talk LGBTQ+ identity and country music

Leaning into Texas’ big personality is a fun way for Rice students to connect with the state’s lifestyle and aesthetic, as they two-step through the Houston bar Wild West and attend parties like Don’t Mess With Texas and DuncStep. But for some LGBTQ+ students, living in a state with a notoriously poor track record for respecting and protecting marginalized communities can be a challenge in balancing identity. 

Ambushes and serenades: birthdays at the residential colleges

You probably didn’t expect your birthdays in college to be commemorated by a ring on a gong or an involuntary full-body soaking. It’s a far cry from the typical fare. At Rice, the birthday experience gets an upgrade, thanks to the traditions of the residential colleges.

From I-PREP to graduation: the international student experience

Being airdropped into a foreign country to fend for yourself may sound like the stuff of spy movies. But for 11.4 percent of Rice’s population, it’s just life as a college student. 

Senior Spotlight: Alex Dunbar

For Alex Dunbar, one of the most special places at Rice is the Turrell Skyspace. He said he loves seeing Skyspace on cold winter mornings when the rest of campus is silent. 

Unraveling the effects of mass shootings through members of the Rice community

Following the tragic events in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, which took place a little over two months ago, we at the Thresher sought to investigate the extent to which the Rice community has been affected by mass shootings.

Black at Rice: Taylor Crain

Taylor Crain is many things. She is a novelist, poet, aspiring fashion designer, club leader — and she is Black. Crain believes these are all equal facets of her identity.

Crossword solution 10-2-2019

Baker comes first: Chef Jaymeshia Carter becomes first Black female executive chef at Rice

It’s hard to avoid Tasty videos on Facebook. They pop up everywhere, showing you how to make an entire meal using aesthetically pleasing dishware in 10 seconds or less. If you’re addicted to watching these videos, you’re not alone.

In their own words: survivors’ stories of sexual assault at Rice

Following the Thresher opinion piece submitted by an anonymous alumna which detailed how her assailant graduated early while facing suspension, outrage from the student body inspired multiple silent protests and an outpouring of discussion about sexual assault at Rice.

Senior Spotlight: Jason Mendez

When it’s time to meet up with Jason Mendez, he’s still rushing back to campus. He has just come back from Katy, where his family lives. It’s easy to tell that Mendez’s family is important to him.

Taste of Home: Turning the Tables

For many students, one of the hardest parts of coming to Rice is leaving behind home-cooked meals. Rice may not be able to clone your grandma (yet), but they may be able to reproduce her cooking, thanks to Housing and Dining’s new program, Taste of Home. 

Crossword solutions 9-25-2019

College coordinators on office pop-ins and close connections

What keeps a residential college running? College governments manage internal and external affairs; the adult residents make sure nothing goes awry. But when it comes to everyday operations, the answer is simple: the college coordinator. 

Crossword solutions 9-11-2019

In ancient civilizations, we see the present

McMurtry College junior Jackson Richard White came into college wanting to study astrophysics, but he said he found an affinity for classical studies after his first-year writing-intensive seminar,  “Propaganda in the Roman Empire.” 

Black at Rice: Drew Carter

Until Senior Night for his high school’s varsity soccer team, Drew Carter didn’t know whether he was going to college. He’d just been given a yellow card from the referee and was sent to the sidelines, furious, when he checked his phone. 

Crossword solutions 9-4-2019

McPlunkett: the college that never was

For the last 10 years, Rice University has had 11 residential colleges. Enter McPlunkett College, Rice’s imaginary 12th college, founded in 2019 by the matriculating class. What started as an inside joke blew up to massive proportions, receiving shoutouts from Rice Housing and Dining, the Marching Owl Band and an official Rice University Instagram story.

Coming home: Former Wiess magisters return to Lovett

Lovett College saw plenty of new faces this school year, but not all the new kids on the block were students. August marked the beginning of Michael Gustin and Denise Klein's first school year as Lovett magisters, after being associates at the college for 18 years.

8-28-19 crossword solutions