Guest Opinion

Condemn DEI censorship, protect campus research

The Office of the Provost announced that Rice’s DEI office will be renamed to the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence on Feb. 28. As a graduate student, I am not privy to the reasons for this rebranding. I hope that, in light of recent federal and state directives and ongoing censorship, it is obvious why I am wary, even if the office claims to continue to promote values of diversity, equity and inclusion while removing these words from its website.

Dismantling subtle racism by reshaping incentives

Before moving to the U.S., I had been cautioned about racism, but I reassured myself: It’s a new generation; people are more conscious. For the most part, I wasn’t wrong. But what no one warned me about was the racism that lingers in the air, unspoken yet deeply felt. It exists in the assumptions people hold, in the way they speak with confidence about other cultures while knowing so little.

Rice protects rich abusers — but we shouldn’t

“Culture of care” is our central motto at Rice. Orientation Week, Beer Bike, publics and even random days are accompanied by the phrase — a reminder that we’re always supposed to protect each other. We do not stand for harm. Yet even after being previously exposed for failing victims of sexual violence, Rice continues to bury cases in the name of its image, and more importantly, its endowment.

I ran against Trevor last year. Here’s why I’m asking you to vote for him.

I ran against Trevor last year. Here’s why I am asking you to vote for him.

The Thresher must stop endorsing SA candidates

The Thresher holds a clear stranglehold on Rice-wide media and, as such, its Editorial Board should not endorse candidates in the Student Association elections. 

Students should prioritize American patriotism

A threat to American values has grown rapidly in recent years: the anti-war movement’s shift to an anti-military stance, calling for divesting from, and in effect dismantling, the defense industrial base. The hyperbolic language found here should alarm Rice students because the U.S. military needs those same companies to develop critical technologies in the functioning of U.S. defense. 

Abortion is still an option, despite harmful restrictions

Preventable deaths, rising maternal mortality rates, threats to contraception and state-sponsored deception. This is the reality in Texas, two years after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. 

Undergrads should vote ‘yes’ on political referenda

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, undergraduates will receive an email from the Student Association containing a ballot with four political questions. These questions must be met with student-body support. 

Students of conscience should boycott Local Foods

Local Foods has served, for many years, as a casual Houston restaurant option for Houston residents, including Rice students. Folks on campus will notice that this option has become more proximate, as a Local Foods location claims space on campus in the Brochstein Pavilion. 

Why the Democratic Party keeps failing us - and what we can do

In the wake of the 2024 general election, many of us are grappling with frustration, disappointment and even anger toward the Democratic Party — and that’s okay. This isn’t about campaign strategy or a single election loss; it’s about the party’s choice to take a once-promising, potentially transformative nominee and reduce her to a hollow vessel for corporate donors and backers. 

Stand up for true free speech

The recent climate on campus has seen rising tensions around free speech and inclusivity, particularly in discussions concerning Israel and Palestine.

Make Election Day a permanent non-instructional day

Back in 2022, as Jones College’s New Student Representatives, we presented one of our first Student Association Senate resolutions to President Reggie DesRoches and other university leaders, asking them to designate Election Day as a non-instructional day. This resolution aimed to eliminate barriers to voting and promote civic engagement, recognizing that the right to vote should not come at the cost of academic performance. 

Students should stop supporting Rice SJP

To foster a truly inclusive campus culture, we must consider a paradox of intolerance: a society must be intolerant of intolerance to uphold its foundational values. Rice SJP not only silences opposing voices, but promotes exclusionary rhetoric that undermines principles of inclusion and pluralism.

Rice bends to Zionist propaganda

In the last several weeks, Rice University held three events — both openly and behind closed doors — that, taken together, demonstrate its commitment to advancing a Zionist ideology on campus, which serves as the foundation for Israel’s increasingly psychotic expansion of its genocidal violence into Lebanon and Yemen. 

Rice is going through an awkward phase

Rice is going through puberty, marked by awkwardness, evolving parts and existential questions. This pivotal time offers both challenges and opportunities for growth. Our actions now, as a community, will have lasting impacts on Rice’s future.

In loco parentis: Don’t baby-proof collegiate life

Student activism is working – and fear-mongering cannot hold us back

S.RES 02, titled “Student Association Boycott and Divestment from Corporations Complicit in the Ongoing Genocide in Gaza,” was presented to the Student Association on March 25. This resolution proposes the creation of an Ethical Spending Advisory Board designed to ensure that Blanket Tax funds are not dedicated to corporations that are complicit in Israeli colonial violence and apartheid based on guidelines created by the BDS movement. 

A journey with Generation Conscious: breaking barriers and expanding horizons

When I first set foot on the Rice University campus, the contrast with my small hometown of Toomsuba was stark. Moving from a quaint town of 800 people to the big city of Houston, Texas made me realize how large the divide between my experience and that of my peers was.

Student workers matter

It is commonly accepted at Rice that our plates are always full. Beyond keeping up with our demanding coursework, Rice students are involved in a variety of research opportunities, administrative work, community advocacy and so much more. Our classmates are integral to our favorite student-run businesses and world-class research, and you can even find them giving tours to prospective students all around the year. In short, undergraduate employment is a core aspect of the Rice experience. 

Honor at Rice is in jeopardy

I decided to go to Rice in part because I was told that this university had a unique culture of honor, trust and freedom. The honor system is one of Rice’s longest-standing traditions, created by the first class in 1912. I joined the Honor Council four years ago because I believed that students, rather than faculty or administration, should keep other students accountable and that their cases be heard by their peers.