Special Projects

Y2K Ushers in a Bygone Era of Rice Publics

This past Saturday, McMurtry College’s Y2K marked the return of publics at Rice after more than two years. Wristbands for the event sold out within two minutes of being available to students. 

Andrew Yang speaks at Rice on state of U.S. politics and democracy

Andrew Yang discussed the state of U.S. politics, democracy and the benefits of a third political party at McNair Hall on March 28. Yang visited Rice as a part of the Presidential Lecture Series.

Rice hits record low acceptance rate for Class of 2026

This year, Rice hit a record-low acceptance rate of 8.56 percent for its admissions cycle. The Office of Admissions received a record high of 31,424 applications, marking a six percent increase since last year and a 74 percent increase over the past five years, according to Vice President for Enrollment Yvonne Romero da Silva. Out of those 31,424 students, just 2,691 were offered admission.

Tuition raises 3.9 percent for 2022-2023 school year

Tuition for next year will increase by $2,030 to $54,100, up 3.9 percent from this year, with the overall cost of attendance rising 3.5 percent to a total of $69,963, according to a news release from the Office of Public Affairs.

The Hatman

03-23-2022 Crossword: "Girlboss"

03-23-2022 Crossword Solutions

Place your bets now on Rice women’s basketball

One year ago this week, the Rice women’s basketball team beat the University of Mississippi by 13 points to win the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. That team, of course, looked very different from the team that ended their season two Fridays ago with a loss to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the quarterfinal of the Conference USA tournament. Following their WNIT win, head coach Tina Langley was poached by the University of Washington, and four of the team’s five starters transferred to schools in bigger conferences. What was left was a roster that returned only one senior and three upperclassmen, under the guidance of a first-time head coach.

Baseball drops 2 of 3 to UAB to open conference season

The Rice baseball team lost two out of their three games against the University of Alabama, Birmingham this past weekend to open their conference season. After defeating the Blazers 8-7 on Friday night, the Owls dropped their next two games in a 10-6 loss Saturday afternoon and a 9-8 loss on Sunday. The Owls are now 6-15 on the season and 1-2 in conference play. 

Hayon takes 36th in 100-yard butterfly at NCAA championships

Last weekend, freshman Arielle Hayon capped off her memorable season over the weekend at the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships. Hayon was the only Owl to make the trip to Atlanta, Georgia and made her NCAA debut in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly. 

Weekly Scenes and Screens, Mar. 23

Moody Center for the Arts celebrates fifth anniversary, return to in-person exhibits

Moody Center for the Arts officially rings in its fifth birthday this year. Since its opening in 2017, the Moody, according to Founding Executive Director Alison Weaver, aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue through the arts and provide an on-campus hub for artistic expression.

Check out these Houston women in the visual arts

March might be nearing a close, but Women’s History Month isn’t over quite yet, so I am here to give you a short list of women visual artists in Houston to engage with and continue to support even when the month is over. Research by the National Museum of Women in the Arts show that women visual artists typically earn less than men, are underrepresented in museum leadership positions and are significantly less represented in the 18 major art museums in the United States when compared with men — 87 percent of those collections are male. 

No car? Catch a bus to these cafes

We’re in the home stretch of the spring semester, with the promise of summer vacation just out of reach. Amid troublesome problem sets and unwritten papers, the Thresher is here to make sure you have one less thing to figure out — where to find coffee close to campus. No car? No problem. There are still many great cafe options for those who enjoy a non squirrel-ridden study environment from time to time, but are running low on goodwill from friends with cars (or on the patience required to drive in Houston). 

Archi-Arts celebrates its centennial with student art, performances

Archi-Arts, the annual art show organized by students of the school of architecture, has returned from a COVID-19 related hiatus  to celebrate its centennial on March 26 from 7 to 10 p.m. in Anderson Hall. The event will highlight the work of student artists and performers.  

Review: Charli XCX is content to dance alone in the flames of pop music in ‘CRASH’

When an artist’s ninth project feels nostalgic, it’s usually a bad sign. It figures that pop music chameleon Charli XCX would buck that trend, delivering tracks simultaneously yearning for early aughts dancefloors and pushing modern pop forward. Despite profound senses of déjà vu, “Crash” navigates between Charli XCX’s past sounds of moody teen pop (“True Romance”), diva snark (“Sucker”) and sawtooth buzz (“I Love It”). The results are solid but ultimately replaceable in the context of Charli XCX’s discography.

Students talk first normal spring break after two years

As March ushers in the first official day of spring, it also marks the first normal spring break for Rice students since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic sent students home in the spring break of March 2020 and last spring, student holidays throughout the semester replaced spring break. On these “sprinkle days,” classes were not held and assignments could not be due. 

Meet historic women from Rice University’s past and present

Although Rice’s student body was predominantly white and male when the university was established in 1912, it has grown into the much more diverse community it is today. In honor of Women’s History Month, get to know some of the female pioneers throughout Rice’s nearly 110-year history. 

Letter to the Editor: On fairness and trans-inclusivity in athletics

On Feb. 2, 2022, the Thresher published an opinion advocating for Seth Huston to undergo allyship training in response to his comments on trans-women’s participation in women’s sports. While I whole-heartedly endorse several of the authors’ key claims — such as their opposition to House Bill 25 — their interpretation of evidence regarding the effects of hormone therapy on trans-athletes lacks appropriate context, serving as a reminder to critically evaluate evidence in politically fraught discourse.   

Culture of Care requires constant effort from each of us

A one sentence definition of the Culture of Care is impossible to create. Three years ago, it was embodied through building relationships with Housing and Dining workers, walking someone home from a party at 2 a.m. or inviting someone new to join you for lunch.