News

Onwenu, Ravella win SA races

Former Sid Richardson College Senator Justin Onwenu won the 2017 election for Student Association president with 38 percent of first-choice votes. With 1875 voters in the presidential race, more votes were cast than in any SA election for decades. 

New college presidents take office

The Thresher reached out to the 10 newly elected — and one reelected — residential college presidents to ask about their background, plans for the year and more.

Mental health forum addresses survey results

A Rice Alliance for Mental Health Awareness (RAMHA) survey distributed to Rice undergraduates showed 44.4 percent of respondents said they have lived or currently live with a mental illness and 57 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they felt comfortable talking about mental health on campus.

UCourt extends voting for part-time students

University Court announced at the Student Association Senate meeting Monday night that the election for SA president would be extended five more days for those part-time students who did not originally receive a ballot.

Distribution requirements under scrutiny

The Faculty Senate Working Group on General Education and Distribution Requirements is proposing three major changes to the Distribution Requirements: reducing general education requirements from 36 credit hours to 30 hours, revising the language for each distribution group and placing the Course Review Committee from each of the six schools in charge of recommending courses for distribution credit.

Rice community remembers James Patrick Griffith

James Patrick Griffith, a McMurtry College alum, passed away unexpectedly on Feb. 27. Griffith, known by his friends as “JP,” was training to become a flight instructor when he was involved in a plane crash near Denver. A Denver native, Griffith is survived by his parents, Bill and Emma, and siblings Gracie and Griff.

Cost of attendance to rise 3 percent next year

The total undergraduate charges for attending Rice University, including tuition, mandatory fees and room and board, will increase 3.1 percent to $59,458 for next school year, according to Vice President for Finance Kathy Collins. While the cost is the highest ever, its rate of increase was smallest in at least a decade.

$50 million data science initiative moves forward

Starting as early as next year, Rice University’s $50 million Data Science Initiative will be hiring new faculty members in preparation for creating a new minor, additional classes and possible master’s programs for undergraduate and graduate students at Rice.

Director of Elections resigns following U Court complaint alleging constitutional violations

Student Association Director of Elections Taylan Tuncata announced his resignation today, after two apparent constitutional violations occurred during the SA election.

Constitution in brief

Senate approves resolution supporting DACA students

The Student Association Senate passed Resolution #4, expressing support of the federal BRIDGE Act, in a 22-1-2 vote Monday night, after more than 30 minutes of debate in addition to discussions at two prior SA meetings.

Thomas contests election via UCourt

Two apparent constitutional violations have occurred during the Student Association election, and SA President Griffin Thomas has filed a complaint with University Court to contest the election.

Todd launches write-in campaign for SA president

Current Student Association External Vice President Hannah Todd announced she is running a write-in campaign for SA president Monday night just after voting in the election began.

Voting opens for Nyquist and Onwenu, Frediere drops out of race after debate

As Rice undergraduates began voting for a new Student Association president, candidates Jake Nyquist and Justin Onwenu continued ramping up their campaigning on campus and social media. Both individuals, along with former candidate Maurice Frediere, defended their platforms at a Friday night debate hosted by the Thresher. Frediere dropped out of the race on Saturday and endorsed Onwenu’s campaign.

Princeton Review race/class ranking at odds with mobility metrics

Following Rice University’s No. 1 ranking for race and class interaction by the Princeton Review in August 2016, a recent study reported by the New York Times of 2,137 universities revealed that Rice is approximately average in terms of class financial composition and mobility when compared to other elite institutions.

SA positions vacant in first election round

While five candidates will be contesting the Student Association presidency and external vice presidency, no undergraduates submitted a petition to run for SA internal vice president or treasurer in next week’s first round general election.

Senate passes new constitution

The Student Association Senate passed a new SA constitution and revisions to the Honor Council constitution at its Monday meeting, while also creating a student housing working group and debating legislation to support the BRIDGE Act.

At Kinder speech, O'Malley promotes urban data

Martin O’Malley, former governor of Maryland and former Democratic presidential candidate, shared his thoughts on modern urban leadership last Wednesday at a Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research event.

Exclusive: Thresher interview with Martin O'Malley

SA addresses campaign ethics concerns with new rules

The Student Association Senate amended the regulations for the upcoming SA elections to bar candidates from promising student funding to organizations and from receiving campaign donations from groups unaffiliated with Rice. These new rules, which were approved unanimously at Monday’s Senate meeting, came in response to information indicating that a potential candidate or candidates had used external campaign consulting services and promised clubs preferential access to student funding in exchange for campaign assistance, according to SA President Griffin Thomas.