Homepage

Astroworld leaves eight dead, hundreds injured

Eight people were confirmed dead, and hundreds injured, following a crowd surge at the Astroworld festival on Friday night at NRG Park. Astroworld is an annual music festival hosted by rapper Travis Scott. The eight victims were John Hilgert, 14 years old, Brianna Rodriguez, 16 years old, Jacob Jurinek, 20 years old, Franco Patiño and Axel Acosta, both 21 years old, Rodolfo Peña and Madison Dubiski, both 23 years old and Danish Baig, 27 years old.

Mapping Rice’s COVID-19 policy changes throughout the fall semester

Forbes defends title, women’s and men’s XC finish top 5 at conference

Sophomore Grace Forbes defended her Conference USA cross country championship title last Saturday, securing her second conference title in as many years en route to a third place finish for the women’s cross country team. 

Pub expected to reopen Nov. 1 with masks, reduced capacity

Willy’s Pub has scheduled its reopening for Nov. 1, according to General Manager Elizabeth Groenewold. Pub’s doors have been closed since early March 2020 following an alleged hazing incident and the later imposition of Rice’s COVID-19 rules. Pub’s capacity will be 100 students on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and will increase to 150 students on Thursday for Pub Night, according to Groenewold, a Will Rice College senior. Masks will be required unless actively eating or drinking. Pub’s pre-COVID capacity was 299.

Housing and Dining grapples with “new normal”

As life on campus returns to a semblance of normality, Housing and Dining has been making its own adjustments. The pandemic’s effects might be seen in staffing and supply, for instance. The Thresher spoke to H&D employees and students to better understand how it is currently operating.

Rice set to join American Athletic Conference

For just the third time in school history, Rice will be moving athletic conferences. Along with five other Conference USA schools, Rice accepted an invitation to join the American Athletic Conference, the AAC announced Thursday morning. Rice will remain in C-USA for now, as the move won’t take effect until a later time which is yet to be determined, although multiple Rice coaches indicated that 2023 could be a possible target date. According to Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard, in the AAC, Rice has found a conference that meets all of its criteria.

Wellbeing & Counseling Centers see 37% increase in demand from last year

The Wellbeing & Counseling Center have both seen an increase in use since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Elizabeth Plummer, the clinical director of the Counseling Center. According to Plummer, walk-in appointments are available for emergency situations, and slots for these crisis appointments have been accounted for in the Counseling Center’s schedule to make walk-ins accessible. Since last year, the Counseling Center has seen nearly four times as many crisis appointments as they usually do, according to Timothy Baumgartner, director of the Counseling Center.

Nicole Lennon breaks kills record against LA Tech

Senior outside hitter Nicole Lennon made Rice history on Saturday, breaking the program’s all-time kills record as the Owls beat Louisiana Tech University in both matches of their two game series. With her 1970th kill, Lennon broke the record set almost two decades ago by Rice legend and former member of the Spain women’s national volleyball team Rebeca Paz. After the game, Lennon said that breaking the record let her see just how much of an impact she’s made on the program.

Rice on Ice: club heads talk new skating club

Over the midterm recess, a few hundred Rice students had the ice skating rink at the Houston Galleria all to themselves. This wasn’t by accident, but through an event hosted by the R-ice Skating Club, which holds weekly skates for Rice community members looking for a fun social activity or an opportunity to try a new skill, according to the club’s founders Brown College freshmen Anya Gu and Imaan Patel and Martel College freshman Alice Zhou.

Review: ‘Squid Game,’ is it worth the hype?

Even if you aren’t one to keep up with the latest entertainment trends, you’ve probably heard of “Squid Game.” This new Korean Netflix show became the most watched show in 90 countries within ten days of its release, making it a larger global phenomenon than anyone likely expected. 

Black Art at Rice: Magdah Omer discusses identity and new exhibit

Magdah Omer, a Baker College senior, discusses their upcoming exhibition, “be water my friend,” at Sleepy Cyborg, opening Oct. 15. Omer’s art featured in the exhibit explores the fluidity of self and identity and utilizes acrylic paint on various unconventional canvases, including clothes, furniture and even people. The exhibit draws inspiration from Agnes Pelton, Özlem Thompson and Hilma af Klint. Omer said they hope that, through viewing and experiencing their artwork, people will gain better understandings of their own selves. The opening reception is on Oct. 15 from 7 - 9 p.m. with the exhibit open through Oct. 24.

Masks no longer required for indoor gatherings less than 10

Masks will now be required indoors only for gatherings of 10 or more people, according to an email sent by Crisis Management Advisory Committee Chair Kevin Kirby on Oct. 11.

New payment system complicates life for student organizations

Student-run businesses, club sports and organizations across campus are among those who have expressed dissatisfaction with ImagineOne, the new payment system used by Rice. Earlier this year, Rice implemented iO to replace its old pay system, Banner, according to Paul Padley, interim vice president for IT.

Rice community joins Houston Women’s March to protest SB8

Several students, faculty and staff traveled from Rice to join the Oct. 2 Houston Women’s March. The Houston march was organized by Houston Women March On, in response to Senate Bill 8, or “the Heartbeat Act,” becoming law on Sept. 1.

Paw Patrol: an exploration of the pets who live on campus

Dogs, cats, fish: these are just some of the animals that live with us on Rice campus. Coexistence alongside noisy college students, bustling student-run businesses and constant construction isn’t the typical life of a pet -- the ones that do reside here are special in this way. The Thresher met 12 pets and interviewed their humans to learn about their lives on campus.

Electrical fire in Mudd Lab leads to campus phone and network outages

Rice campus experienced phone and network outages due to an electrical problem in the Mudd Computer Science Laboratory building, according to B. Paul Padley, interim vice president for IT and chief information officer. At 11:04 a.m. on Sept. 27, an electrical fire was reported and the Houston Fire Department arrived on site, according to the Office of Information Technology Status Page.

‘Some call it Hell; I call it “Flue”’: A look back at the 1918 pandemic

In the history of the Rice Thresher, the publication of print editions has been suspended three times: last February in the midst of a historic winter storm, in spring 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and in 1918 during World War I — and the coinciding Spanish influenza pandemic. The last edition of the Thresher in 1918 was published May 25. Thresher staff wrote about the establishment of the Student Association and the poor quality of food during wartime and published advertisements, aimed at the student body of a militarized campus, for military uniforms for sale. 

Majority of classes return to in-person instruction this week and next

The majority of classes with 50 or more students will transition back to in-person learning between Sept. 20 and Sept. 27, following an email from the Office of the Provost announcing this return. Previously, courses with 50 or more students were kept online, even as other classes returned to in-person learning after the second week of the semester, according to an email from the Office of the Provost on Sept. 2.

Black Art at Rice: A Conversation with Chavonté Wright

Chavonté Wright (Martel College ’16) works primarily in graphite and charcoal and draws from her personal experiences to depict realms ranging from Black literary figures to scenes reminiscent of her childhood as a native Houstonian. She reflects on how the Black experience inspires her work, particularly in the spaces within joy and suffering. Currently, Wright is a Ph.D. student studying sociology at Indiana University, and readers can explore more of her art at chavonte.com and @musemedit on Instagram.

Rice cancels classes and activities due to Hurricane Nicholas

All classes and instructional activities were cancelled on Sept. 14 due to widespread power outages caused by Tropical Storm Nicholas, according to an alert sent by the Rice Crisis Management Team. This follows an announcement originally requiring all classes after 5 p.m. on Sept. 13 to be taught remotely.