Special Projects

Cross-country tunes up for conference at A&M meet

Their sport may be called cross-country, but the Owls long-distance runners traveled a fraction of that distance on Saturday when they made the hour-and-a-half drive to College Station for the Arturo Barrios Invitational. Rice’s women’s team took 14th place out of 37 teams, while the men’s team took 20th out of 41 at the Texas A&M University-hosted meet, their last before conference. According to men’s head coach Jon Warren, injuries kept his team from performing as well as he would have liked in their tune-up race.

Soccer wins the weekend to keep perfect conference record alive

After winning just two of their eight non-conference games to start the year, the Rice soccer team has won all seven of their games in conference play, allowing just two goals in the process. Over the weekend, the squad defeated the University of Texas at El Paso 2-0 at home and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 1-0 on the road, with all three goals being scored by graduate transfer forward Grace Collins. While leading the team in both goals and assists this season, Collins attributed the Owls’ conference success to head coach Brian Lee and his emphasis on unnoticed details in each game.

Owls win, Rice loses: Football falls to FAU as offense goes missing

Rice football was defeated 17-14 by Florida Atlantic University on Saturday night, moving their overall record to 3-3 and marking their first conference loss this season. Coming off their bye week, the loss on Saturday continued Rice’s winless road record this season. After scoring 14 points in the first quarter, Rice’s offense was unable to score for the remainder of the game as FAU responded with 17 unanswered points. Head coach Mike Bloomgren said that while the defense did well to stymie the home side, the offense’s failure to score points was the main culprit in the loss. 

NOD 2022 Recap

Review: ‘Amsterdam’ is a humorous escapade turned lackluster political allegory

Unlike most films I watch, I genuinely had no idea what kind of movie “Amsterdam” was going to be when I first walked in the theater. All I knew from the trailer was that it’s a comedy that seemingly had assembled a dream team of actors, with almost every role filled by either an Oscar-nominated actor (Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Robert De Niro and Rami Malek), well-renowned comedian (Chris Rock) or musical superstar (Taylor Swift). From the trailer, it looked like whatever “Amsterdam” was going to be had to be good. With this much talent, backed by Oscar-nominated director David Russell, how could it not?

Review: The 1975 exceeds expectations on ‘Being Funny in a Foreign Language’

Long-time fans know the drill: previous posts are deleted and/or archived, and their Instagram sits blank — for a little while, at least. And then, on June 1 (coincidentally, the band’s anniversary), a picture surfaces on their social media accounts and there they are — our favorite British men (no, not the Beatles). It’s a new era for our old friends: The 1975.

Review: Surf Curse abrasively experiments with smoothness on ‘Magic Hour’

Each of Surf Curse’s LPs have featured the band on the cover, but “Magic Hour” — the group’s fourth full-length release and only project since 2019’s “Heaven Surrounds You” — is the first time the portrait has included more contributors than founding drummer, vocalist and frontman Nick Rattigan and guitarist Jacob Rubeck. 

Budget Bites: Fall for these Trader Joe’s items

‘Tis the season of pumpkin spice and everything nice. If you have been searching for cheap, festive meals to get you into the fall spirit, this review is for you. Every year around the month of October, Trader Joe’s releases a limited amount of fall-themed items in its stores. There are a wide array of impulsive purchases you can make, from ‘autumn-scented’ candles to Halloween cookies to pumpkin ravioli. Among the many tempting options, I chose to review muffins, bagels, brioche and soup, all at affordable price points. 

New ramen shop’s good, not killer

Tokyo-based ramen chain Killer Noodle has made its way to Houston, expanding from its  location in L.A. into the Space City. Touting spicy bowls, Killer Noodles serves tan tan men and spicy Sichuan dan dan noodles, a lighter option than the tonkotsu that most ramen shops in Houston serve. The chain’s California locations have boasted high praise, and the new location in the Heights seems poised to follow suit. With a range of appetizers, three styles of ramen, two options for vegetarian ramen and a list of potential bowl toppings, Killer Noodle is sure to impress even if it falls just short of the lofty expectations it sets for itself.

Local markets on their A-trade

Houston is the fourth largest city in the nation, and with all of that real estate comes plenty of markets to serve the community. Everything from your traditional farmers market to ones with  dancing and carnival rides can be found around the city. Some are only a couple metro rides away from campus, while others offer the chance to see more of Houston’s suburbs. As the weather turns to fall, these outdoor markets are the perfect way to support local Houston businesses and have fun while doing so. 

Best and Worst of ACL 2022: Artists you did and didn’t miss

Every year, festival-goers congregate at Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. This year, the Thresher once again made the trip to see for ourselves what the hype was about (and also to see SZA, who did not disappoint). For those who might want a recap or weren’t able to make it out to the festival this year: first, check out our Spotify playlist, and second, read on for our take on the best and worst performances from both weekends.

Meet the ACL Artist: Maude Latour colors the stage with new sound

On Oct. 8 in the Texas summer heat, Maude Latour took the stage at Austin City Limits Music Festival with glittery makeup and upbeat music. Just before performing her song, “Lola,” Latour led the crowd in a chant of the lyrics, “Keep my girls protected. I’m turned on when I’m respected,” before dedicating the song “to queer people, to trans people, to trans youth and to protecting the right to choose.”

To prevent suicide, we need to talk about it

In December of last year, I drafted an opinion entitled “Dear Rice, We Need to Talk (about suicide).” I chickened out on submitting it to the Thresher because I believed, against my own written argument, that talking about suicidality wouldn’t do anything — wouldn’t prevent death or injury or start the right kind of conversation. I was mostly worried about sending previously-suicidal students back into their own memories, or worse, forcing currently-suicidal students to endure a dialogue so close to their pain. But I believe if we continue in relative silence, the wound will scar, not heal. Rice, we need to talk about suicide. 

If you are struggling, please reach out for help

This week, Izzie Karohl, a Rice alumna, wrote an opinion piece highlighting the need to talk about mental health and suicidality in our community. We at the Thresher want to add to her piece and encourage students who are struggling with their mental health or suicidal ideation to reach out for help, whether from on- or off-campus resources.

No. 22 volleyball swept by No. 18 Baylor

When the Owls dropped the first two sets against No. 18 Baylor University on Wednesday, it felt like the same position they had found themselves in numerous times in a season that’s already featured five comeback wins. But instead of the Owls pulling off their third reverse-sweep of the year, the Bears won set three to clinch the sweep (18-25, 22-25, 17-25). Entering the match ranked No. 22 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll and No. 10 in the Rating Percentage Index, the loss ended the Owls’ 11 game win streak. Following the match, head coach Genny Volpe was disappointed by the Owls’ inability to match Baylor’s efficiency.

O’Rourke campaign holds rally for Rice students near campus

On Thursday, gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke hosted a rally near Rice’s campus as part of his campaign’s tour of colleges and universities across Texas. The rally, which was held at Fleming Park, a few blocks north of campus, was attended by hundreds of Rice students, some neighborhood adults and a few dogs.

10-05-2022 Crossword Solutions

Skyspace debuts new electroacoustic show

This Friday, Oct. 7, composer Elainie Lillios will debut her original composition, “Night Sky,” at the James Turrell “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace as a celebration of its 10-year anniversary.

Rice’s Innovation District Joins Third Ward Community

The Thresher is launching its Special Projects team with a thorough examination of Rice’s Innovation District. As part of Rice’s push beyond the hedges, the Innovation District is under construction in Third Ward, one of Houston’s historically Black neighborhoods. We spoke with the Rice Management Company and with community members, who expressed both hopes for resources and fears of gentrification and displacement. We dove into the data, and we researched the history of Black art in Houston.

Fondren Library to begin providing free menstrual products in bathrooms

Fondren Library will provide free menstrual products in all of the library’s women’s and men’s bathrooms this semester, an effort in collaboration with Rice Women’s Resource Center and Period@Rice.