Special Projects

Karlgaard embraces challenges of pandemic, NCAA changes

Athletic director Joe Karlgaard describes himself as someone who likes challenges. But even he has found the past year and a half to be difficult. While the pandemic was a challenge to all college sports programs, Karlgaard said that Rice was at a disadvantage because they took it upon themselves to maintain higher COVID-19 safety protocols than many of their competitors.

Unconventional wisdom or Rashad Wisdom? Owls face undefeated UTSA

On Saturday, Rice football will hit the road to take on Conference USA rival University of Texas, San Antonio. The Owls (2-3 overall, 1-0 conference) look to continue their two game win streak with an upset over the undefeated Roadrunners (6-0).

Soccer needs overtime to get past struggling UAB

The Rice women’s soccer team improved their season’s record to 9-3-1 and 3-1 in Conference USA after beating the University of Alabama at Birmingham in a hardfought overtime battle on Friday. The victory at Holloway Field improved the Owls to 2-1-1 in overtime matches this year. After the game, head coach Brian Lee said that the team always has to be prepared to win close games, especially against conference competition.

10-13-2021 Crossword Solutions

Students curate unique Rice-related Instagram pages

The curated and public “rinsta” — a portmanteau of “real” and “Insta” — is maybe the most popular unofficial category of Instagram accounts. But a new type of rinsta has been brewing: Rice-related Instagram accounts. Focused on subjects from possums to bricks, these accounts show an oddly specific aspect of life on campus. The Thresher talked to the owners of three of these accounts.

Going backwards: Tour guides talk a return to almost normal campus tours

When the pandemic hit, one of the first things to go was the in-person campus tour. The familiar sight of a student tour guide walking backward through the Rice Memorial Center was replaced by virtual tours. But this year, in addition to virtual tours, in-person campus tours are back — albeit not exactly the same as they used to be. 

​​Reconsider using the terms Hispanic, Latino and Latinx

Before Hispanic Heritage Month officially ends, I would like to take a moment to write about the labels those of us of Latin American heritage use to describe ourselves. At Rice, club names, course titles and survey questions often defer to pan-ethnic labels even though most people tend to use their national origin group as a primary identifier. These pan-ethnic labels are problematic. Although they in some ways unify Latin American communities, they often leave out others, like Afro-Latinos and indigenous Latinos. My goal here is not to dissuade people from using pan-ethnic labels; as history has shown, they can be useful, to some degree. However, my intention is for all of us, Latinos and non-Latinos alike, to use them wisely — with the understanding that the Latino community cannot be condensed into one culturally, ethnically or even linguistically homogeneous group. With that in mind, I hope that we as a Rice community continue to discuss and re-evaluate our language even after Hispanic Heritage Month ends. 

Guidelines require definitions: What is a ‘gathering’?

As we have seen over the past 18 months, COVID-19 has a tendency to disrupt even the best-laid plans. The administration was premature in declaring a return to normalcy in May, and we appreciate the caution with which they have handled COVID policies this semester. Since the initial testing snafu during Orientation Week, COVID guidelines on campus have been gradually rolled back as the semester progresses. 

Masks no longer required for indoor gatherings less than 10

Masks will now be required indoors only for gatherings of 10 or more people, according to an email sent by Crisis Management Advisory Committee Chair Kevin Kirby on Oct. 11.

Weekly Scenes and Screens: Oct. 6

Review: ‘The Guilty’ disappoints in comparison to the original

There’s been a much-maligned trend in movies lately where studios take old, beloved intellectual property and reboot it for modern audiences. “The Guilty” presents something of an interesting experiment from Netflix, then. Although it’s an almost exact remake of a Danish movie of the same name, the original is neither old (it was released just three years ago) or beloved (while it opened to critical acclaim, it made just 4.6 million dollars). Theoretically, this should simplify the path to success for an adaptation. Despite this, “The Guilty” comes nowhere near surpassing an excellent original. 

(More) ACL artists to look out for this weekend

Last week, the Thresher compiled our recommendations of smaller artists to look out for at ACL this year. Now that the festival’s second weekend is rapidly approaching, we wanted to share even more artists that we’re excited to see. We would hate for you to miss out on any incredible performances, and on the chance to possibly meet other people with similar (amazing) music tastes. Read on to discover your new favorite artists, check out our guide on navigating the festival this year and listen to our favorite tracks of the festival this year. To hear all of the Thresher’s song recommendations from artists at ACL this year, listen to our playlist on Spotify.

New payment system complicates life for student organizations

Student-run businesses, club sports and organizations across campus are among those who have expressed dissatisfaction with ImagineOne, the new payment system used by Rice. Earlier this year, Rice implemented iO to replace its old pay system, Banner, according to Paul Padley, interim vice president for IT.

Rice community joins Houston Women’s March to protest SB8

Several students, faculty and staff traveled from Rice to join the Oct. 2 Houston Women’s March. The Houston march was organized by Houston Women March On, in response to Senate Bill 8, or “the Heartbeat Act,” becoming law on Sept. 1.

Paw Patrol: an exploration of the pets who live on campus

Dogs, cats, fish: these are just some of the animals that live with us on Rice campus. Coexistence alongside noisy college students, bustling student-run businesses and constant construction isn’t the typical life of a pet -- the ones that do reside here are special in this way. The Thresher met 12 pets and interviewed their humans to learn about their lives on campus.

The Thresher's Rice Recs

Are you a freshman new to Houston? Technically a sophomore but lived remote last year? A senior looking for new places to try before you graduate? And whatever the juniors are up to, we’ve got you covered. Our staff has compiled H-Town recommendations for you, from bars to barber shops and everything in between. 

The Campanile: a look at Rice's yearbook

Rice’s undergraduate population has the opportunity to join clubs ranging from STEM-focused organizations to writing-intensive publications. Rice’s very own student-run undergraduate yearbook, the Campanile, falls under this wide spectrum. The Campanile has evolved in many ways since its early years. More than just a yearbook with headshots or a box of items, it is now a collection of stories and senior photographs — a history of the academic year and a record of student voices. 

Rice receives part of NSF grant to support low-income master’s candidates

Rice has partnered with Jackson State University, Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University to receive a National Science Foundation grant of almost $5 million to support scholarships for students pursuing master’s degrees in engineering or related fields. 

Rice offers restorative justice as alternate resolution

Rice began offering restorative justice as an alternative option for informal dispute resolution this fall semester, according to Olivia Hernandez, equal opportunity specialist for the Office of Access, Equity and Equal Opportunity. 

Soccer falls to Western Kentucky in battle of C-USA heavyweights

In a potential Conference USA title game preview, Rice soccer fell to a one-loss Western Kentucky University team by a score of 2-0, bringing their conference record to 2-1 and their season record to 8-3-1.