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Wednesday, April 16, 2025 — Houston, TX

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NEWS 6/16/20 10:35am

CARES Act allotment announced

By Savannah Kuchar

Rice has announced plans to allocate all $3.4 million in funds received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to students, according to an email sent yesterday morning from Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman and Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Seiichi Matsuda. 

NEWS 5/26/20 8:19am

Rice mandates mask-wearing, shares vision to reopen campus

By Brian Lin

Rice announced the health protocols, which will be in place starting June 1 until further notice, in an email to students yesterday. Leebron had previously shared a $10 million budget gap caused by COVID-19 and the potential for full-time employees to be furloughed in a town hall on Friday.

NEWS 5/17/20 5:30pm

First-ever virtual commencement held for the Class of 2020

By Savannah Kuchar

With an in-person graduation ceremony indefinitely postponed, the class of 2020 was presented in a virtual commencement ceremony, livestreamed yesterday on the university’s YouTube and Facebook page. The undergraduate ceremony included footage of students and campus, messages from various community members, and a reading of all the graduating seniors’ names. 

NEWS 5/10/20 10:02pm

History professor Caleb McDaniel wins Rice’s first Pulitzer Prize

By Rynd Morgan

History professor Caleb McDaniel became the first Rice professor to win a Pulitzer Prize for his book “Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America” on May 4. The book is about Henrietta Wood, a woman who in 1870 successfully sued the man who abducted her and sold her into slavery.

NEWS 5/4/20 9:17pm

Leebron announces plans for fall semester: Shortened semester, dual in-person and online classes

By Rishab Ramapriyan

President David Leebron announced plans for reopening campus for the fall semester in an email to all faculty and staff on Monday evening. Rice plans to reopen for the fall semester in mid-August with its full population on campus, but there will be significant modifications to class and campus operations, according to Leebron’s email that was obtained by the Thresher.

NEWS 4/23/20 6:19pm

Rice accepts $3.4 million allocated for student financial relief under CARES Act, amid controversy

By Rynd Morgan

Rice University will accept the $3.4 million allocated to them through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, according to Kathy Collins, vice president for finance. The purpose of the fund is to provide emergency financial aid grants to students. The U.S Department of Education prohibited Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients and undocumented students from receiving the federal aid provided by the CARES Act.

NEWS 4/21/20 6:51pm

Inflatable dome construction delayed once again

By Kelly Liao

The construction of the inflatable dome has been delayed by at least one month after the company that manufactures and installs the air structure paused all construction operations, according to Rick Mello, the deputy athletics director. The company’s operations, which have been halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, are currently set to resume in mid-May. 

NEWS 4/21/20 6:48pm

Hidalgo discusses pandemic management with the Thresher

By Savannah Kuchar and Rynd Morgan

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, announced a stay-at-home order for the county on March 24 which, originally scheduled to end on April 3, has been extended to April 30. Working alongside Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Hidalgo has been responsible for instituting these and other precautions for the city of Houston during the current pandemic. The Thresher recently sat down with Hidalgo to discuss next steps for the city. 

NEWS 4/21/20 6:44pm

Multicultural Center to relocate to H&D building

By Talha Arif

The Rice Multicultural Center is temporarily relocating from the Rice Memorial Center basement to the former Housing and Dining office. The move is scheduled to occur at the beginning of the fall semester, according to Kevin Kirby, vice president for administration. 

NEWS 4/14/20 10:24pm

Students, Faculty Senate propose and debate appropriate academic relief measures

By Talha Arif

After recently rejecting a proposal for the Double A grading policy, the Faculty Senate will deliberate over potential additional accommodations at their April 22 meeting. However, the Student Association released data from a survey of 34.6 percent of the student body on Monday which showed the majority of student support was in favor of the Double A policy.

NEWS 4/14/20 8:04pm

Zoom bombings disrupt online classes

By Dan Helmici

After moving all classes and programs online over three weeks ago, Rice faculty and staff are still experiencing difficulties teaching, including a common trend known as “Zoom bombing.” On top of other technical difficulties associated with the transition to remote learning, some classes and online programs have reported being interrupted by individuals that randomly join Zoom calls in order to cause disruptions. 

NEWS 4/14/20 6:47pm

Student Association moves to Canvas

By Savannah Kuchar

Following Rice’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including the transition to all online classes, the Student Association has moved to an online platform for the remainder of this semester. Without the option of in-person Senate meetings, the SA is now using a Canvas page to hold discussions and send announcements.

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