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NEWS 2/26/25 12:06am

SA candidates debate Blanket Tax, DEI

By Noa Berz

Candidates for Student Association president, internal vice president and external vice president took to Pub’s stage Feb. 24 to answer questions about their candidacy and the future of the SA. They debated topics like SA efficacy, budget concerns and national politics.

NEWS 2/26/25 12:05am

Dastur runs for EVP uncontested after Zahra withdraws from race

By Abigail Chiu

Mahtab Dastur, a current Duncan College New Student Representative, is campaigning for External Vice President uncontested. She was previously running against McMurtry College sophomore Lajward Zahra, who announced her withdrawal from the race, citing “unforeseen personal circumstances,” at the Student Association debate Feb. 24. At the debate, Zahra endorsed Dastur for the role.

NEWS 2/25/25 11:06pm

DEI unclear amid federal bans

By Prasi Desai

A letter from the Department of Education, issued Feb. 14, warned schools to eliminate race-based programs within 14 days. According to the letter, the ED intends to “take appropriate measures to assess compliance” with these guidelines. 

NEWS 2/25/25 10:49pm

New media studies major in the mix for next spring

By Abigail Chiu

A media studies major is in development as an expansion of the existing cinema and media studies minor, with the proposal to be submitted to the University Committee on the Undergraduate Curriculum in March. If approved, classes for the major would become available in spring 2026.

NEWS 2/25/25 10:45pm

Alt-rock band bôa to headline Moody X-Fest

By Hongtao Hu

The third Moody X-Fest will host English alt-rock band bôa as the headline act. The festival on April 25 will be bôa’s first stop in the U.S. in 2025, before they continue their Whiplash tour in Dallas.

NEWS 2/18/25 11:00pm

Rice testifies for lawsuit against ‘devastating’ federal funding cuts

By James Cancelarich

Rice joined 70 other universities supporting a lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health, which may reduce research funding by billions of dollars. A Feb. 7 NIH memo announced a drastic cut to indirect costs, which covers overhead for research institutions; including funding for lab spaces, water and power bills and paying subcontractors, according to testimony from Provost Amy Ditmtar.

NEWS 2/18/25 10:58pm

Federal grant cuts jeopardize $4 million of research funding

By Saahithi Sreekantham

Rice could lose up to $4 million in research funding due to cuts to National Institutes of Health grants, according to analysis by the New York Times. On Feb. 7, the NIH proposed a drastic slash of funding for indirect costs, which include administrative and lab upkeep. The proposal was blocked by a federal court Feb. 11. 

NEWS 2/18/25 10:57pm

6% of students admitted in first-ever ED II round

By Abigail Chiu

Rice’s inaugural round of Early Decision II saw a single-digit acceptance rate, admitting only 6% of its 2,513 applicants on Feb. 7, said Yvonne Romero, vice president for enrollment. A total of 36,749 people applied to Rice this admissions cycle, including applicants across the ED I, ED II, regular decision and QuestBridge National College Match programs.

NEWS 2/18/25 10:19pm

Student Association ballot nearly complete

By James Cancelarich

The Student Association Senate voted to put five constitutional amendments on the spring elections ballot and rejected Rice PRIDE and Rice Apps’ requests to be blanket tax organizations. While the ballot will not be voted on until Feb. 24, the SA has nearly finalized what will be voted on by the general student body in the upcoming election.

NEWS 2/18/25 10:15pm

Virani School celebrates namesake donors

By Viola Hsia

The Jones Business School held a celebration for the donation establishing the Virani Undergraduate School of Business Feb. 13th. The celebration was held in the Jamail Plaza outside of the Jones School building and is the first official celebration of the Virani School of Business since its official naming last fall. 

NEWS 2/18/25 10:14pm

Federal hiring freeze may jeopardize internships, jobs

By Sanjana Ramineni

In one of his first major executive actions following his inauguration, President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on hiring federal civilian employees across the executive branch. The directive, applicable as of noon Jan. 20, states that no vacant federal civilian position may be filled and no new position may be created.

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