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Friday, November 22, 2024 — Houston, TX

Features

FEATURES 3/21/23 10:24pm

ASB groups ditch the beach, connect with community

By Jonah Sposito

According to just about every college stereotype ever, spring break is associated with partying and hanging out on the beach. However, some Rice students spent their recent breaks a little differently. Some wrote policy briefs on mental health in migrant communities. Others volunteered at clinics for Vietnamese refugees or visited local arts organizations. These students all have one thing in common: they were a part of Rice’s Alternative Spring Break Program,  which aims to work with community partners on a range of social issues.

FEATURES 3/7/23 11:06pm

Celebrate women in Houston

By Sloane Domingo

This year’s Women’s History month is dedicated to the theme of “Celebrating Women who tell our Stories,” and the city of Houston has plenty of opportunities to commemorate the occasion. Here are some fun ways to spend the month of March commemorating past, present and future history-making women.

FEATURES 3/7/23 11:05pm

‘A significant milestone’: Women carve out spaces at Rice

By Morgan Gage

When the then-Rice Institute welcomed its first matriculating class, Nellie Mills was among its ranks. Mills, the first woman to matriculate at Rice, was one of the few women attending Rice in its early days. While students were largely male, Rice was established as a coeducational institution, admitting both male and female students from its inception — though admission was restricted to white Texas residents. 

FEATURES 2/28/23 11:43pm

‘Because we’re the first generation’: Myritney Saint-Cloud faces the challenges and motivators of being an FGLI student

By Murtaza Kazmi

The daughter of Haitian immigrants, Myritney Saint-Cloud is acutely aware of the generational pressure that accompanies her time at Rice. While both her parents hold degrees, they did not go to school in the United States – thus putting the onus on Saint-Cloud to pursue her education in the face of being a first-generation American and low-income student. 

FEATURES 2/28/23 11:42pm

Senior Spotlight: Sofi Aguilera blends art, work

By Sejal Gupta

When Brown College senior Sofi Aguilera first wrote her fantasy book, “Paragon,” she didn’t know she was about to become the youngest published author in Mexico. Now, five years and a book series later, Aguilera is preparing for a full-time role at a California-based venture capitalist firm and, of course, still writing.

FEATURES 2/28/23 11:41pm

Spring break plans that’ll save you bucks

By Sarah Knowlton

The infamous college spring break is (thankfully) nearly here. While these breaks are often associated with lavish and loud trips to the likes of Cancun and Aruba, the Thresher rounded up a few enjoyable ways to spend the upcoming break that won’t shatter your bank.

FEATURES 2/21/23 10:29pm

Science, tech, engineering and crochet: looking at COLL courses

By Adam Leff

Like any other course, COLL 113 begins with a discussion of the assigned readings. The current discussion topic is the relationship between crocheting and coding, and how the fields can be used to inform one another. Afterwards, the teacher demonstrates crochet techniques for the class, projected on a screen so her hands are visible.

FEATURES 2/14/23 11:45pm

Dating Science: Marriage Pact takes campus by storm

By Emelia Gauch

Concerned that you won’t find love at the ripe age of 18 to 22? Fear not. Rice students now have a new opportunity — or backup plan — for romance. The Marriage Pact borrows from the romantic comedy trope of two friends agreeing to get married at a certain age if they don’t find anyone else. Essentially, they agree to be each others’ romantic backup plan. Developed by Stanford University undergraduates Liam McGregor and Sophia Sterling-Angus as their final project for an economics class, the Marriage Pact takes this idea and translates it into a 50-question survey that students have brought to 78 colleges and universities across the U.S., now including Rice. 

FEATURES 2/14/23 11:43pm

Finding love next door: Married professors talk love, literature

By Grace Zhou

The circulation desk at Fondren is perhaps one of Rice’s most underrated matchmaking spots. Back in 2001, it was where now-married professors Sarah Ellenzweig and Scott McGill first met. Ellenzweig had already been teaching at Rice for a year, while McGill had just started teaching in the Classics department.

FEATURES 1/31/23 10:50pm

Owls after dark builds community

By Adam Leff

Tahj Blackman, assistant director of campus events, keeps an array of Lego sculptures in his office, remnants from a competition he helped host on Jan. 19. Owls After Dark, a late-night events program, recently hosted this Lego competition in collaboration with the Doerr Institute.

FEATURES 1/31/23 10:48pm

How to be single on Valentine’s Day

By Zaara Shafi

Being able to genuinely enjoy time by yourself is a rare feat. Everyone is swept up in the whirlwind of constantly socializing. Being alone and having fun with yourself is something many values. Yet, having fun alone is the ultimate power move. This Valentine’s Day, take pride in being able to celebrate self-love even if you aren’t celebrating a romantic relationship. After all, you can’t exactly break up with yourself, so show yourself some love and foster this important relationship. Take a break from social media and doom-scrolling, and recharge by taking some time off studying. Here are some exciting solo dates perfect for a session of self-love wooing.

FEATURES 1/31/23 10:47pm

Leave before you get left: Navigating your V-day situationship

By Riya Misra

So your situationship ended things by saying “we’re not friends with benefits because we’re not really friends,” and now ten months later, you’re sitting on the Texas Medical Center sidewalk crying on his shoulder. Happy Valentine’s Day. So you’re not single and you’re not cuffed. You’re stuck in the weirdest, worst in-between stage possible: the situationship. I am — resentfully so — a seasoned veteran, so here’s my advice: end it. If you won’t listen to that, because there is absolutely no reason to ever listen to my advice, then read some situationship V-Day plans I’ve rounded up for you.

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