Special Projects

Rice Stadium gets a bath for the upcoming season

Rice Stadium will be getting an update next season, as the Rice athletic department announced the first phase of a new renovation project for the 72-year-old stadium. The renovations will include a new wall around the field, a new scoreboard, upgraded premium seating options and a thorough cleaning. According to Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Events Dan McGarry, the upgrades should provide a significant improvement for fans on gameday.

Rice’s student managers discuss their work behind the scenes

Division I coaches and athletes are often household names, rising to national prominence in their given sports. But many other integral members of athletic teams can get overlooked, including student managers, who work behind the scenes to make sure everything is running smoothly. 

Baseball falls victim to cannibalism, feasted on by Owls of FAU

Over the weekend, the Rice baseball team was swept by conference rival and fellow Owls, Florida Atlantic University at Reckling Park. The hosts were unable to steal a game from the No. 3 ranked team in Conference USA, losing 9-4 on Friday, 6-5 on Saturday, and 7-1 on Sunday, bringing their overall season record to 8-21. 

Review: ‘Bridgerton’ season two still doesn’t nail the ending, but it's entertaining nonetheless

Dearest readers, it has been almost two years exactly since I have seen the ‘Ton so abuzz with whispers of a show that allots equal screen time to searing eye contact as actual dialogue. Season two of “Bridgerton” premiered March 22 on Netflix to general elation from slow-burn romance lovers and utter dismay from those who will suffer friends donning fake British accents for the next month. As a proud member of the former group, this was an exciting time. 

Review: Denzel Curry embraces a softer sound and opens up on ‘Melt My Eyez See Your Future’

Known for his aggressive vocal performances and experimental rap stylings, “Melt My Eyez See Your Future” is Denzel Curry’s most emotionally vulnerable project yet, portraying his own inner musings instead of an alter-ego’s. Curry described his inspiration for the album as “a combination of what’s going on right now in the world and Akira Kurosawa films.” Known for his distinctive style, Kurosawa created movies that are often considered in the canon of art cinema, a sense of artistic intentionality that Curry embraces throughout the album.

Review: ‘I Know NIGO!’ is a project rooted in collaboration

If you’re like me, you were probably surprised that Japanese fashion designer Nigo was releasing an album and even more surprised to see the star-studded feature list: A$AP Rocky, Tyler, the Creator, Pusha T, Clipse, Pharrell, Gunna, Kid Cudi, Teriyaki Boyz, A$AP Ferg, Pop Smoke and Lil Uzi Vert.

Notes from Music’s Biggest Night: Best and Worst moments of the Grammys

With over-the-top live music performances, fashion and drama packed into its three-and-a-half hour runtime, the 64th Grammy Awards offered viewers plenty of entertainment. Held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada for the first time after being postponed in January, this year’s show tried to broaden its audience and boost its pandemic numbers — the worst of all time. Returning host Trevor Noah carefully toed the line with light, safe quips, likely in an attempt to avoid another slap like last weekend’s Oscars. For those still recovering from Saturday’s Beer Bike and Sunday’s midnight deadlines, the Thresher condensed the night’s events into its most memorable moments.

Black Art at Rice: Preston Branton draws inspiration from cartoons

Preston Branton, a Jones College senior majoring in architecture, uses digital methods, charcoal and pencil to create art inspired by the human experience and his love for cartoons. He reflects on his artistic journey, the art he aims to create and the feelings he hopes it will evoke in viewers, as well as the intersectionality of his Black and queer identities.

Catch live music at these venues

Houston is home to a host of talented musicians, comedians, poets and more, including some right here at Rice. They showcase their artistry at various venues around the city, each with their own unique flair and personality. Here are some of the worthwhile spots, including many with open mic nights for anyone — i.e. Rice students — to try out their art  on stage and wow the crowd. 

04-06-2022 Crossword Solutions

04-06-2022 Crossword: "March Madness"

Review: Machine Gun Kelly, are you okay?

Since rapper turned self proclaimed “new face” of pop-punk Machine Gun Kelly released “Tickets to my Downfall” in 2020 and broke into the pop-punk scene, Kelly has been the subject of public vitriol, and his recently released album “mainstream sellout” revolves around this, lamenting his perceived outcast status, pop-punk gatekeepers shunning his music and his own struggles with mental health. The 2022 release is, unfortunately, an album that feels forgettable in its sameness between songs and as if it borders on parody of the genre with none of the humor of satire.

Looking at jacks from Beer Bikes past

Jacks, or pranks pulled by residential colleges on each other, are time-honored traditions especially popular during the week of Beer Bike. The Thresher looked through the archives to rediscover past Beer Bike jacks, which have included everything from stealing Hanszen College’s swing to tie-dying the Will Rice College commons. 

Rice Children’s Campus: a home for young Owls

Every weekday at 7 a.m., the youngest Rice students wake up and head to school. Rice has many programs of study, but this one is not quite as well known as the others. The Rice Children’s Campus, sitting just west of campus between Rice Village and Rice Stadium, serves as a daycare and early learning center for the children of Rice faculty, staff and students. 

4-6-2022 Editorial Cartoon

Senior Spotlight: Johnny Wang embraces life at Rice

Johnny Wang did not know much about Rice when he applied Early Decision. According to the Lovett College senior, he didn’t visit campus or speak with any current or former students before applying. What he did know were two things: one, that he wanted to pursue medicine, and two, that he had heard Rice was a great place for pre-meds. 

Beer Bike Coordinators – Thank you for Beer Bike

After three years and much anticipation, we finally had a normal Beer Bike. None of the past week’s events could have been possible without the hard work of every Beer Bike coordinator, bike captain, chug captain and every student, staff and alumni who played a role in making Beer Bike 2022 the spectacular event it was.

Rice announces Google Storage reduction by Dec. 17

Rice University Google Workspace student accounts’ storage will reduce to 10 GB, while faculty’s account storage will reduce to 50 GB by Dec. 17 of this year. Associate Vice President of IT Infrastructure and Operations Marc Cougle announced the change in an email to Rice students and faculty on March 7. 

Saudi Arabian Oil Co. joins Rice Carbon Hub research initiative

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, also known as Aramco, recently joined Rice University’s Carbon Hub research initiative, a program that focuses on the development of sustainable uses of hydrocarbons to further the energy transition.

NESB construction remains on schedule amid other delays

The New Engineering and Science Building construction remains on schedule despite the recent disruption of multiple construction projects at Rice caused by pandemic-induced supply chain and inflation issues.