Special Projects

Rice rebrands DEI office amid federal scrutiny

Rice has renamed its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence, announced in a Feb. 28 campus-wide email from Provost Amy Dittmar. This change arrives as universities across the country adapt — often altering or erasing diversity statements entirely — to federal anti-DEI legislation.

Students petition for immigrant student sanctuary policies

Students are petitioning university officials to declare Rice a sanctuary campus, which offers protections to international and undocumented students and, notably, does not cooperate with immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. The petition garnered over 400 signatures by March 4, said Conner Schultz, the co-chair of Rice’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America. Rice YDSA spearheaded the petition, which has now been co-signed by campus organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine, Planned Parenthood Generation and Rice Urbanists.

Admin agrees to $10 min. wage

The Student Association’s Labor Commission received a verbal commitment from Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman Feb. 10 to raise the student minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 an hour. This change will be applied in July 2025 for the start of the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Abell replaces Intellectual Brutality slogan with ‘WE’

As soon as Rice football head coach Scott Abell arrived for his first day on campus last November, he began preaching an acronym: “WE.”

SA & Thresher Cut Backpage’s Power

03-05-2025 "Owl-American"

“Who’s WE?”

Men’s Tennis 7-4 leading up to conference matches

The Rice men’s tennis team is midway through their season, ranked No. 65 according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association with a record of 7-4. The team is back in Houston with three upcoming matches at home after spending the weekend in La Jolla, California for the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship.

Meet football’s 2025 early enrollees

This spring semester, Rice football welcomed a number of new players to the program. Seven of them are early enrollees, graduating from their respective high schools a semester early and matriculating at Rice before any of the other Class of 2025 recruits. 

Musical apocalypse hits Rice

Music, screaming and laughs filled McMurtry College commons Feb. 27 to March 1, as Lovett Theatre and McMurtry Arts Committee brought to life the horror-comedy-musical: “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals.”

Students react to Sarofim

For years, art students say they’ve worked within the constraints of the aging Sewall Hall and the “insufficient,” inaccessible Hamman Hall. But with the 80,000 square-foot Sarofim Hall set to open next semester, students are preparing to transition into a purpose-built space that finally feels like home.  

R&B legends electrify Toyota Center on Mary J. Blige’s “For My Fans” Tour

A sold-out crowd at Toyota Center witnessed three R&B legends combine forces on Feb. 18, delivering a night that was equal parts nostalgia, powerhouse vocals and pure soul. Titled the “For My Fans” Tour, Mary J. Blige’s first major outing since her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction felt like a homecoming of sorts — not just for Blige, but for openers Mario and Ne-Yo, who brought their own timeless hits and crowd-pleasing flair to the stage.

‘Perforations’ celebrates fashion, art, sustainability

Inside Anderson Hall, student designers, models and artists gathered for “InThread” and “Archi-Arts,” two student-run showcases that blurred the line between fashion and visual art. This year’s shared theme, “Perforations,” explored transformation — through cut fabric, layered textures and fragmented materials.  

May your costume trick or tr(eat) at Hanszen Halloween

It’s time to make a public appearance, and Hanszen College’s Halloween public, or Halloweekend pt. 2, is just the place to do it. March can be just as frightening as October was, and not just because of midterms. If you’ve already donated, recycled or sold your Halloween costume for parts on Depop, we’ve got your back. 

Sports Law Society connects contracts and catches

Breaking into the sports industry can feel like trying to score a touchdown without a ball. Rice’s sports management program, ranked #1 in the country by Niche, offers a specialization in sports law that allows undergraduates to explore the legal side of the field. 

Condemn DEI censorship, protect campus research

The Office of the Provost announced that Rice’s DEI office will be renamed to the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence on Feb. 28. As a graduate student, I am not privy to the reasons for this rebranding. I hope that, in light of recent federal and state directives and ongoing censorship, it is obvious why I am wary, even if the office claims to continue to promote values of diversity, equity and inclusion while removing these words from its website.

Rice protects rich abusers — but we shouldn’t

“Culture of care” is our central motto at Rice. Orientation Week, Beer Bike, publics and even random days are accompanied by the phrase — a reminder that we’re always supposed to protect each other. We do not stand for harm. Yet even after being previously exposed for failing victims of sexual violence, Rice continues to bury cases in the name of its image, and more importantly, its endowment.

DEI office name change is symbolic, maybe necessary

Amidst federal funding cuts impacting research and firings of federal workers, higher education feels chaotic right now. At first glance, it seems alarming that Rice’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was renamed to the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence, announced in a campus-wide email. However, we feel this name change is mostly symbolic and necessary to ensure Rice can continue supporting those values — in action, if not in name.

Hoot returns after a month

Say goodbye to those unsatisfied late night cravings, because The Hoot has reopened as of Feb. 17.

Darr runs for treasurer amid electoral confusion

Jackson Darr is running unopposed for treasurer in the ongoing SA elections, which are set to conclude March 6 after being delayed by ballot errors. 

‘Real life sort of friendship’: Nudge app launches at Rice

Nudge, a social media app created by McMurtry College sophomores Ben Rubin and Yining Zhang, launched Feb. 24. Rubin and Zhang say the platform aims to promote in-person social interaction and authentic sharing. Nudge currently has 300 users.