Features

FEATURES 9/12/23 11:00pm

Hoot ‘em or hook ‘em? Houston covers the spread in fun and culture

By Gale Gai

Even though Rice football fell to the University of Texas, Austin on Saturday, Sept. 2, let’s not forget who’s boss in the Lone Star State. When it comes to the space race, size, sports, expenses and school, Houston has Austin beat.

FEATURES 9/12/23 10:57pm

Freezing cold takes with Chief and Justice

By Hamza Saeed

“Okay, so let’s say I have a gun to your head, because I just went ahead and robbed a bank … I need you to tell me who you are in 10 seconds.” (The Thresher always starts with hard-hitting questions.)

FEATURES 9/12/23 10:56pm

Mr. Worldwide: CLIC offers study abroad in eight countries

By Murtaza Kazmi

Dozens of Rice students traveled to eight countries in the past year to earn course credit through the Center for Language and Intercultural Communication’s Rice in Country program.

FEATURES 9/6/23 12:14am

Rice researchers talk media bias, nuance

By Juliana Lightsey

Sifting through the cacophonous jumble of information available at the tap of a screen can be a daunting task. Modern online socialization means the news we receive is never-ending, multifaceted and sometimes dangerous. What are the implications of the rampant accusations of biased journalism and misinformation in today’s academic climate? Researchers at Rice have some ideas.

FEATURES 9/6/23 12:09am

Hot clubs in your area

By Sejal Gupta

The Rice Memorial Center was packed with over 350 booths and crowds of students scanning GroupMe QR codes on Sept. 1. The Student Activities Fair boasted clubs of all kinds. The Thresher has compiled a list of new and returning clubs for anyone on the hunt for another extracurricular activity.

FEATURES 9/6/23 12:07am

Late-night dining at Rice is hard to come by. Sid Richardson College just made it easier.

By Paige Fastnow

With the serveries closed and the Hoot only open for some of the week, late-night dining at Rice quickly becomes limited. But a new initiative at Sid Richardson College has set its sights on changing that.

FEATURES 9/6/23 12:03am

Linsey Sainte-Claire wants to share her knowledge

By Sarah Knowlton

Linsey Sainte-Claire left home at age 15. She moved from her native French Guiana to attend school in Paris, France in hopes of receiving a better education than she could get in the Caribbean.

FEATURES 8/30/23 12:17am

Business is booming: major growth, two years later

By Adam Leff

Move over, engineers — there’s a new major in town. According to the Office of Academic Advising, 26.7 percent of new students are interested in the business major, surpassing all other potential majors.

FEATURES 8/29/23 11:50pm

Every theme, everywhere, all at once

By Paige Fastnow

As new students settle in after the largest Orientation Week in Rice history, it’s time to start asking the real question: Which college had the best theme? This week, the Thresher is taking a look at all 11 themes so you can decide for yourself.

FEATURES 8/29/23 11:44pm

‘Life is just a classroom’

By Sejal Gupta

With a Rice Swifties GroupMe exceeding 500 students and a dedicated Instagram page to boot, it makes sense that when COLL 167 ‘Miss Americana: The Evolution and Lyrics of Taylor Swift’ opened on Esther, the first section filled up within the hour.

FEATURES 8/22/23 11:04pm

Ryan Freidin, artist and networker

By Landry Wood

Sports media is ubiquitous. It is in every cable package, every newspaper and many Twitter feeds. In order for all that content to exist, organizations need videographers and curators, people who can exercise creativity and technical expertise at once; they need people like Ryan Freidin.

FEATURES 8/22/23 10:58pm

Started in the basement, now we’re here: Explore ktru’s history

By Hadley Medlock

From the infamous yellow bumper stickers with rearranged letters to the often eclectic and unique range of music they share, the ktru radio station is an institution well known among the Rice community and even beyond the hedges. Despite this, few know the expansive history behind the iconic radio station and how it came to be the ktru we know and love.

FEATURES 8/22/23 10:54pm

Unleash your discount detective with these savvy student savings

By Disha Baldawa

Calling all budget-conscious brainiacs. If you’re a student looking to stretch your dollar, you’ve come to the right place. This week, the Thresher is diving headfirst into a world of wallet-friendly wonders that’ll have you mastering the art of student discounts. Use all that saved-up money for extra Chaus.

FEATURES 4/18/23 10:59pm

‘The only catharsis that comes to mind’: Students open up about suicide

By Morgan Gage and Riya Misra

“The way that people view suicidal ideation is very interesting to me,” Gargi Samarth, a Brown College senior, said. “You tend to see the person who is dealing with them as less of a person, [like] they’re not as capable of understanding themselves, being self aware or as possessing rationality.”

FEATURES 4/18/23 10:57pm

Ranking Rice publics, best to worst

By Hugo Gerbich-Pais

While I maintain that the best party a Rice student can attend are University of Houston parties, some of this year’s publics have been bearable — enjoyable, even. A few might even be worth their ticket resale price on the Rice Clothing Resale GroupMe.

FEATURES 4/18/23 10:53pm

‘We’re still working’: The future of inter-college events

By Sloane Domingo

Rice’s residential college system is a cornerstone of the university’s culture, frequently touted for its ability to foster a sense of community for students. With 11 different colleges boasting unique structures, traditions and inhabitants, many students find it easy to connect with others within their college. However, while these dynamics produce tight-knit support systems and friend groups, some might find it challenging to broaden their relationships across colleges, and sometimes lack organized opportunities to develop them.

FEATURES 4/18/23 10:51pm

Golden Talon scavenges on campus

By Adam Leff

Normally, the steam tunnels under Rice are off-limits to students. But on Tuesday, April 6, as part of a scavenger hunt organized by a student group called the Order of the Golden Talon, two intrepid teams got the privilege of exploring the steam tunnels under Rice. Duncan College junior Ethan Peck, who was on the winning team, noted that this was one moment when the team had doubts about the hunt.

FEATURES 4/18/23 10:51pm

Leebron lives up sabbatical year

By Michelle Gachelin

After 18 years as the president of Rice, David Leebron has been spreading his wings. During what he refers to as his sabbatical year, emphasizing that he is too young to be retired, his pastimes have included skiing and attending musicals. He also spends his time listening to Aretha Franklin and Bob Marley.

FEATURES 4/11/23 10:56pm

Alumni re-explore Rice lore

By Jonah Sposito

From setting off fireworks in students’ rooms to painting the ceiling of Hanszen to massive food wars, anything can happen within the hedges at Rice. The Thresher compiled some of the best lore and unique stories from Rice over the years.

FEATURES 4/4/23 10:14pm

‘Disgraced financial analyst’ Matthew Broussard talks being funny

By Riya Misra

A self-described “disgraced financial analyst,” Matthew Broussard (’10) was crowned Houston’s Funniest Person a mere two years after graduating from Rice with a degree in computational and applied mathematics. What started as doing open mics as a hobby before transitioning to full-time comedy, Broussard has since appeared on shows like Comedy Central and Conan, prodded John Mayer about his ex-girlfriends on Roast Battle and created a puzzle app called Monday Punday. He has also met Chris Hemsworth once in an elevator.