Special Projects

Experienced Linebackers to lead Owls’ Defense

When Rice football takes the field this Saturday, it will mark the second latest start to a season in school history. This year’s team will beat the record by only two days, which was set back in 1912, when the Owls opened their season on Oct. 26. 

Owls revamped offense looks to bounce back

When the football team opens its season against Middle Tennessee State University on Saturday afternoon, the offense will look a little different than it did last season. In what will be the team’s third season under the direction of Bloomgren and offensive coordinator Jerry Mack, the scheme may be slightly different as well. According to Mack, the coaching staff’s familiarity with the players and the ability to adapt could prove crucial this year. 

10-20-2020 Editorial Cartoon

Proposed pass/fail policy is antithetical to academic exploration

The Faculty Senate recently presented their proposed changes to the pass/fail policy, which include changing the threshold grade for pass to a C, preventing students from recycling the four allotted pass/fail designations and preventing a pass/fail from being converted to a letter grade after the deadline, even for classes that later become major requirements after the major is declared. The proposed changes to the pass/fail policy do not serve to ameliorate students’ academic integrity or academic performance, but rather unnecessarily limit flexibility and discourage intellectual curiosity and exploration. 

Getting a Grasp on SUCSCOC

Several Rice groups denounce proposal to change VISA rules

The Student Association and the Office of International Students and Scholars plan on commenting in opposition to a Department of Homeland Security proposal to remove “Duration of Status,” a move that would make it more difficult for students on visas to extend their stay in the country, according to Adria Baker, the executive director of the OISS. 

10-21-20 Crossword #2: "Faux Restaurants"

10-21-20 Crossword #1: "Girl Talk"

Review: Clipping explores terror with ‘Visions of Bodies Being Burned’

In “Visions of Bodies Being Burned,” experimental hip-hop outfit Clipping expands on the sinister world it created with its previous album, “There Existed an Addiction to Blood.” Both albums venture into horrorcore, an oft-forgotten subgenre of hip-hop based on dark, violent and transgressive themes typical of horror movies such as murder or supernatural hauntings. Clipping applies these conventions to modern social concerns in order to address the difficulties and inequalities of today. A horror movie for your ears, Clipping’s second exploration of terror does not disappoint. 

“Proud Late Bloomer” finishes its run at Sleepy Cyborg Gallery

“Proud Late Bloomer” by Raquelle Jacqueline is the latest exhibition at Rice’s student-run Sleepy Cyborg Gallery. 

The Five Stages of Midterms

This election, down-ballot races determine the future of our climate

As the election approaches, we are undoubtedly aware of the presidential ticket. However, there are 45 more races that are going to appear on our ballots — all of them crucial elected positions that form the basis of Harris County. Each time we vote, we shape not just our country but also our local municipalities. These candidates are the people who directly determine what life looks like for Rice University and the Houstonians surrounding us — in terms of criminal justice, our tax dollars and our environment.  

Pub raises $39,000 in reopening fundraiser

Willy’s Pub raised over $39,000 by Sept. 28 to go towards reopening the business, almost doubling their initial goal of $20,000, according to General Manager Emily Duffus. 

Former Rice professor awarded Nobel Prize in Physics

Mathematician Roger Penrose recently became one of three recipients for the Nobel Prize in Physics, for his work on the subject of black holes. Though Penrose is currently a professor emeritus of mathematics at the University of Oxford, he was also a professor of mathematics at Rice from 1983 to 1987. 

Owls name Collins starting quarterback

Football head coach Mike Bloomgren has named his starting quarterback less than two weeks before their first game: Mike Collins, a graduate transfer from Texas Christian University, will be under center when the Owls take the field on Oct. 24.  

Temporary installations, enduring imagination: Rice Public Art welcomes “Creative Interventions”

The Moody Center for The Arts’ new outdoor installations, dubbed “Creative Interventions,” is a multimedia collection of artistic works and interactive exhibits that take advantage of temporary structures and socially distanced spaces across campus.  

BSA’s Soul Night lights up screens with Y2K nostalgia

 The Black Student Association held their annual Soul Night this Saturday with outdoor screenings at residential colleges as well as virtually through Zoom. Inflatable screens, snaking HDMI cables and relentless mosquitos did nothing to detract from student presence at the revamped Soul Night. Soul Night Co-Coordinator Camille Pierre-Louis explains how Soul Night is normally a cultural live show that provides a platform for Rice students and young Black artists to express themselves and show off the spectrum of Blackness.  

Fall 2020 drop deadline extended to week 10

The Office of the Registrar announced on Oct. 8 that the drop deadline for the fall 2020 semester is extended from week 7 to week 10 for all fall undergraduate matriculants. 

Jack Fox punts his way from the Owls to the Lions

Although their season has not started yet, one bright spot for the Rice Owls football program has been former Rice punter and current NFL player Jack Fox. As the starting punter for the Detroit Lions, Fox has made waves in football due to his performance so far this season. An undrafted rookie, Fox is a star for the Lions, impressing football fans and pundits across the nation.  

“Down With Willy” sit-ins expand to broader movement with Lovett Hall and residential college projections

The sit-ins to remove William Marsh Rice’s statue from the Founder’s Memorial expanded to include projections of messages onto Lovett Hall on Oct. 5, which prompted Rice University Police Department to respond and shut down the display. The sit-ins have continued for over 40 days, with 14 people attending Monday’s sit-in and two additional students on Zoom.