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Tuesday, July 15, 2025 — Houston, TX

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SPORTS 3/16/21 11:02pm

Soccer defeats No. 12 Texas A&M in overtime thriller

The Rice soccer team downed no. 12 Texas A&M University at Holloway Field on Monday in dramatic fashion. The Owls fell behind 2-0 early, but they were able to climb back into the game with two goals of their own to tie it and force overtime. In the final seconds of overtime, senior defender Caleigh Page sent a shot into the back of the net, giving the Owls a 3-2 win, and securing the upset. After the game, head coach Brian Lee said that it was an important win for the Rice soccer program. 


FEATURES 3/16/21 10:57pm

‘It’s just brutal’: Two students reflect on losing loved ones to COVID-19

Baker College sophomore Lily Sethre-Brink’s grandfather was named Willis, but she called him Grandpa Will. He was stern but witty, she said, and they would always make blueberry pie together. He did a mean Cookie Monster impression, and when Sethre-Brink was a little kid, she would pretend to fall asleep in his lap so that she could stay in his arms longer. And he always loved to hear her sing. 



SPORTS 3/16/21 10:38pm

What comes next for Rice women’s basketball?

Following a disappointing loss to Middle Tennessee State University in the Conference USA championship game and not being selected for the NCAA March Madness tournament, Rice women’s basketball now faces the age-old question: Where do they go from here? 


SPORTS 3/16/21 10:35pm

Owls impress at NCAA T&F, XC championships

In a week that saw the NCAA championships in both cross country and track and field, three Owls earned All-American honors across the two events. At the track and field championships, which were held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, juniors throwers Erna Gunnarsdóttir and Nick Hicks each took second team All-American honors, with top-15 performances in the shot put and hammer throw respectively. Sophomore distance runner Grace Forbes, meanwhile, placed No. 6 in the 5.000 meter, earning her first team All-American honors. Forbes followed up her performance with a No. 19 place finish in the 6,000 meter at the cross country championships, which earned her All-American honors as well. 


NEWS 3/16/21 10:30pm

Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice Task Force solicits opinions on Willy’s Statue through survey

 The Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice asked Student Association presidents on March 7 to send out a survey regarding Willy’s statue to college presidents, who were asked to send it to their respective college students. The survey asked if the statue of William Marsh Rice should be removed from the Academic Quad and asked how they reached that answer. Responders were instructed to write as little or as much as they would like.  


A&E 3/16/21 10:26pm

Femmes on Film: Women’s History Month Watchlist

It’s Women’s History Month, and you know what that means! Companies are going to tweet about how women are human beings as if it’s a revolutionary point, and there’s going to be more shirts at Forever 21 that say “feminism.” Cynicism aside, this month serves as a good reminder to support films made by women and reflect on the importance of celebrating women in the often male-dominated industry of filmmaking.  



OPINION 3/16/21 10:20pm

What we’ve learned from publishing a newspaper in a pandemic

For the past year, people have been using the message “we’re all in this together” to help us feel less isolated in the shared traumatic experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. While all of our lives have been touched by the pandemic, it has also affected each of us differently, at different times and in different degrees. Some of us stayed in Houston, while others went back to our hometowns. Some of us stayed inside, isolated from other people, while others had to work in-person jobs as essential workers. Some of us watched our loved ones suffer from afar after they contracted the virus and some of us contracted it ourselves. For this editorial, the Thresher editorial board is reflecting on our experience of the pandemic as a newspaper staff and finding out why the work we do continues to be worthwhile despite the challenges. 


FEATURES 3/16/21 10:03pm

A year of grief: Students share stories of severity of COVID-19 sinking in

The past few weeks have been marked by harrowing anniversaries. Feb. 29 marked one year since Rice Crisis Management alerted the Rice community that a staff member had possibly been exposed to COVID-19 during overseas travel. March 3 was the anniversary of Rice canceling international travel over spring break and suspending all other foreign travel, and March 8 marked a year since classes, Beer Bike and other major events were initially canceled. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic.




A&E 3/16/21 9:23pm

‘ITCHY SOUR CANDY’: VADA students talk solo exhibition series

“ITCHY SOUR CANDY,” a series of four student solo art exhibitions, is this year’s Mavis C. Pitman Exhibition, organized through the visual and dramatic arts department. Kyle Dickens, Ginny Jeon, Isabel Samperio and Sumin Hwang’s exhibitions will each be open for eight days at Sewall Hall’s Emergency Room Gallery, spaced from March 12 to April 28. 


NEWS 3/16/21 9:20pm

Wiess, Will Rice redo elections due to complications

Will Rice College and Wiess College both reheld elections for certain college positions after facing issues relating to their respective voting softwares, OwlNest and Qualtrics. By holding these elections again, the election outcomes were changed both for Wiess and Will Rice.  


NEWS 3/16/21 9:18pm

Students react to RUPD officers seen wearing “Thin Blue Line” masks

In the past two weeks, students reported seeing Rice University Police Department officers wearing face masks depicting the “Thin Blue Line” symbol on campus, a symbol sometimes associated with the Blue Lives Matter movement and which some students associate with the movement. RUPD Chief Clemente Rodriguez said that he had not seen any officers wearing masks with the words “Blue Lives Matter” written on them, and none of the RUPD supervisors he spoke with saw any RUPD officers wearing masks with messages saying the words “Blue Lives Matter.” However, some officers have worn masks depicting the “Thin Blue Line” symbol, which Rodriguez said was meant to support fellow law enforcement officers. 


FEATURES 3/16/21 9:12pm

Inked: Adriana Amaris talks taking up tattooing as self-care

Last spring, when many of us were learning to bake bread or dedicating our time to TikTok dances, Adriana Amaris sat with a tattoo gun buzzing against the peel of an orange. With sunlight coming in through her windows as she works, she says that tattooing herself and listening to music has become a form of self-care. Moving from oranges to her own skin to tattooing others, Amaris has steadily grown her confidence, skills and the number of people with her work etched onto their bodies.


FEATURES 3/16/21 8:59pm

Providing aid in times of need: REMS volunteers embody culture of care

During the school year, throughout the summer, and whenever there’s a big event on campus –– athletic events, and during a normal year, public parties –– student EMTs with Rice University Emergency Medical Services are around at the scene, looking out for the community. This past year, the stakes have been higher: EMTs have been serving their community during a pandemic. 


A&E 3/16/21 8:54pm

Historic River Oaks Theatre at risk of permanent closure

The River Oaks Theatre, a historic art deco cinema from the 1930s located at 2009 West Gray Street, is at risk of permanent closure after being unable to pay rent to Weingarten Realty for a year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two Houston organizations, Artists for Artists and the Houston Film Critics Society, are working to prevent the cinema’s closure. 



SPORTS 3/14/21 10:48am

Owls fall to Blue Raiders in championship

After barely escaping last night with a win, Rice women’s basketball fell to Middle Tennessee State University in the final seconds of yesterday’s Conference USA tournament championship game. The Owls managed to bring it to within one point during the final minute but ultimately lost the contest 68-65.