Special Projects

Students sit-in at Founders Memorial to push for removal of statue

A group of Rice students have continued the summer movement to remove William Marsh Rice’s statue through daily sit-ins in front of the Founder’s Memorial since Aug. 31. Shifa Abdul Rahman, a junior at Lovett College, organized the sit-ins to push for the administration to remove the statue immediately. 

To the administration: Reevaluate unpaid student labor

This March, when students across campus received an email announcement that classes were shifted to a remote format for the rest of the semester, many of us had one preliminary concern: How will we move out of our dorms? With piles of personal belongings remaining in empty dorms, the job of packing and moving boxes was relegated to students, most of whom did the job without pay. In an interview for an article in our features section this week, one student said he spent approximately 75 hours on the task.

Ronald Stebbings, professor emeritus and former dean, passes

Ronald Stebbings, professor emeritus of space physics and astronomy and former dean of undergraduates, passed away on Aug. 27 at age 91. Stebbings is survived by his two sons, Vernon Stebbings (Will Rice College ‘78) and Martin Stebbings (Sid Richardson College ‘83).  

New Tech TA program popular with students and professors

To assist instructors with the classroom technology for online or hybrid courses, the Office of Information Technology has hired 160 students as technology teaching assistants. According to the OIT Associate Vice President Diane Butler, faculty have requested Tech TAs for approximately 270 courses. 

RPC’s showing of Mulan canceled after students’ boycott movement

 The Rice Program Council canceled the “Mulan” (2020) movie night after students addressed on social media a boycott movement against the film due to one of its filming locations being Xinjiang, China, its end credits thanking local agencies that conduct concentration camps and the main actress’s support of Hong Kong police. 

9/16 scenes and screens

Houston’s Third and Fifth Wards designated new cultural districts

The Texas Commission on the Arts designated Houston’s Third and Fifth Wards as cultural districts on Sept. 3. Home to historical landmarks, cultural diversity and notable figures in education, music, politics and art, these neighborhoods have played an influential role both in Houston and the Black community at-large. 

Football freshmen adjust to student-athlete life

With numerous college football programs across the nation starting their season this past weekend, there has been an increased focus on freshmen football players who are transitioning to the rigor and toughness of college football while also trying to navigate through the precarious situation presented by the coronavirus pandemic.  

Why is football being played if other sports aren’t?

Over the past couple of months, talks about restarting athletic programs have centered on one thing: college football. Even though Rice announced earlier this week that the start of their season would be delayed until Oct. 24, other programs across the country started their seasons this past weekend.  

Rice students must care about climate change and act accordingly

Recently, I was eating dinner outdoors when I saw a classmate throw a plastic Gatorade bottle in the trash can. I mentioned it, and she told me that she wasn’t recycling because there was still Gatorade in the bottle. When I suggested that she empty and rinse out the bottle to recycle it, she just waved her hand and laughed. I returned to my room, crushed — that same morning, my family in California’s Bay Area had awoken to another day of hazardous smoke and “snowing” ash from three nearby wildfires, and some of the sites of my childhood memories had burned to the ground. 

New Coffeehouse Drinks

Review: Daphne X creates worlds of sound both familiar and strange on new album "Água Viva"

 You have to listen to "Água Viva" on headphones — it's the intended experience. The textures on this album are sonorous and immaculate, and Greek sound artist Daphne X weaves them into a membrane that fully encloses the listener's auditory space. In doing so, she offers a welcome escape into a world that facilitates the spatial and environmental awareness so often missing from our lives in quarantine. 

Review: Big Sean pays tribute to Motor City on “Detroit 2”

“Detroit 2” is a feature filled homage to Big Sean’s hometown of Detroit, enlivened through spoken word stories and evocative lyricism. Although Sean had originally planned to announce the project on March 13 to coincide with “313 Day,” a celebration of Detroit, the announcement was postponed to later that month due to the COVID pandemic. Following months of anticipation, Big Sean’s passionate ode to his home dropped on the promised date of Sept. 4 along with a capsule of merchandise. 

Visual and Dramatic Arts at Rice goes hybrid this semester

From filmmaking to sculpture, faculty and students in the visual and dramatic arts department are discovering what it means to create art when COVID-19 restrictions include room capacity limits and social distancing measures throughout campus. For those who are engaging remotely this semester, finding space to work on art at home can be a challenge.  

Rice music thrives in the face of adversity

The Shepherd School of Music has conducted classes this semester both in-person and remote despite challenges regarding proximity, airflow, and, in the case of wind instruments, the spread of saliva particles. Consistent and exhaustive COVID-19 precautionary measures, specifically designed to restrict the spread of particles while playing instruments, have been enacted to make in-person music classes possible, according to Rice’s Director of Bands Chuck Throckmorton. 

9-13-2020 Crossword: "Body Pop"

Aparna Shewakramani, "Indian Matchmaking" star, talks lasting friendships with costars and former Rice peers

Aparna Shewakramani was a freshman at Lovett College when she signed up for an introduction to Hindi class at Rice. She couldn’t have predicted what the class would lead to — that she’d meet one of her two closest friends in the class, and that eighteen years later, the two would briefly appear on Netflix’s reality TV show “Indian Matchmaking” to support her. Or that, during the show, Shewakramani would use her Hindi to communicate with a matchmaker.

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CARES Act Phase 2 payments yet to be completed

Rice received $3.4 million in funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act this past summer and completed the first phase of payments in June, while the second phase of payments has not occurred yet. 

Reckling Park to be on-campus polling location for 2020 election

Rice’s Reckling Park will be the on-campus polling location for both early voting and election day this year, according to Lila Greiner, the media relations director of Rice Young Democrats. Harris County officials moved Rice’s polling location off-campus in February due to accessibility concerns for non-Rice voters.