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A&E 1/14/20 10:17pm

Review: ‘1917’ triumphs in uncharted territory

By Sam Venker

Coming fresh off of two Golden Globe wins for best director and best drama motion picture, Sam Mendes’ “1917” earned immense critical acclaim and seemed destined for box office success before the film even hit most American theaters Jan. 10. This praise is well deserved; “1917” proves to be a breathtaking piece of filmmaking, using a “one-take” technique where the entire film is made to appear as one continuous shot.

A&E 1/14/20 10:14pm

Freedom reigns in new MFAH ‘Norman Rockwell’ exhibit

By Katelyn Landry

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston tells the story of how Norman Rockwell’s iconic depictions of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms — freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from fear and freedom from want — changed American society forever with “Norman Rockwell: American Freedom.”

FEATURES 12/26/19 4:58pm

A Decade of Thresher: 2013 Recap

By Christina Tan

In February of 2013, over 1,000 Rice students gathered in the Academic Quad to do the most 2013 thing ever: the Harlem Shake. Just in time too, as 2013 was the year that infamous video-platform Vine took hold of popular culture with its seven-second videos. In 2013, indie-rock band Vampire Weekend released their hit album “Modern Vampires of the City and then waited six years to release their next one this year. It was also the year of the game-changing release of iOS 7, which introduced flat icon design and a control center, changes discussed by Thresher staffers. 

FEATURES 12/22/19 4:33pm

A Decade of Thresher: 2012 Recap

By Christina Tan and Rynd Morgan

Outside of Herring Hall sit two massive humanoid figures composed of letters and numbers. A current staple of the Central Quad landscape, Jaume Plensa’s “Mirror” sculpture was installed in 2012, the centennial (100th) year of Rice. Another staple of campus, the James Turrell Skyspace, also opened in 2012. It was a year of celebrations but also of turmoil, as ten students were transported by Emergency Medical Services from Wiess College’s public party, Night of Decadence, prompting a permanent revision of the Alcohol Policy and a ban on hard alcohol consumption.

FEATURES 12/15/19 7:41pm

A Decade of Thresher: 2011 Recap

By Christina Tan

Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in “A Decade of Thresher,” a commemoration of another decade of Thresher coverage. BBC News called 2011 “the year when a lot happened,” highlighted by the fact its site received 15 million unique site visits in a day (in November 2019, BBC received 519 million visits). An earthquake rocked Japan, Osama Bin Laden was killed, protests in the Middle East became the Arab Spring and then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords survived a shooting in Tucson, Arizona. 

FEATURES 12/13/19 2:03pm

A Decade of Thresher: 2010 Recap

By Christina Tan

In 2010, most current seniors were in sixth grade or just about to graduate from elementary school. “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha topped the charts followed by its antithesis, “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum. An important technology benchmark, 2010 was the year mobile game Angry Birds began to gain popularity, coupled with the release of the iPhone 4.

NEWS 12/13/19 12:33pm

Dean of Engineering Reginald DesRoches to become ninth provost

By Christina Tan

The provost is considered the chief academic officer of the university, overseeing “academic, research, scholarly and creative programs and activities,” according to the provost’s office. 65 years after the first provost took office, DesRoches will be the first Black provost in Rice’s history, following Miranda’s appointment as the first female provost. 

NEWS 12/10/19 3:16pm

Four suspects indicted after RUPD investigation into eight on-campus burglaries

By Christina Tan

A grand jury indicted four male suspects for their alleged involvement in a rash of on-campus burglaries last year which totaled $20,534 in damages, according to Rice University Police Department Chief of Police James Tate.  The four suspects, now awaiting trial after last Monday’s indictment, could face felony charges and up to $10,000 in fines if found guilty of the charges brought against them by RUPD. A resolution of the case would also account for all reported on-campus burglaries in 2018, according to RUPD Lieutenant of Investigations Derrick McClinton.

NEWS 12/4/19 11:19pm

Waste contamination hinders recycling at Rice

By Grace Wei

The percent of waste recycled at Rice has remained stagnant around 25 percent in recent years, but the Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management is aiming to reach 40 percent by 2020, according to the Facilities Engineering and Planning website.

OPINION 12/3/19 9:47pm

What can Rice University do to show that they believe Black lives matter?

By Milkessa Gaga and Toluwani Taiwo

“If Black lives matter to Rice then we would not have to ask that question to begin with.” As members of professor Anthony Pinn’s Religion and Black Lives Matter course, we were challenged with the task of applying what we learned in a unique way that engages the Rice community. One of our responses to this challenge was to survey Black voices on campus: “What can Rice University do to show you that they believe your life matters?”

SPORTS 12/3/19 9:36pm

Season Recap: Football team ends season on a positive note

By Michael Byrnes

In the season finale, Rice football defeated the University of Texas, El Paso 30-16, outscoring the Miners 16-0 in the second half en route to their third consecutive victory on Saturday. The victory in Rice’s season finale improved the Owls’ final record to 3-9, a one-win increase over last year’s total and tied for Rice’s best finish since 2016.

SPORTS 12/3/19 9:35pm

It’s a good time to be a Rice sports fan

By Madison Buzzard , Michael Byrnes and Eric Barber

As the semester wraps up, it’s a good time to take stock of how Rice Athletics is doing as a whole. At this moment, we believe that there is good reason to be happy and optimistic with how the Owls are performing now and will perform in the future. On a sport by sport basis, Rice sports teams are ending the decade at a peak. 

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