Special Projects

Academic quad to reopen Sept. 12 with fanfare, celebrations

The academic quad is set to reopen Sept. 12. According to Kelly Fox, the executive vice president for operations, finance and support, the opening will be commemorated with a campus-wide event.

New FSJP chapter emerges on campus

Rice Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine established a campus chapter, echoing the mission of the existing undergraduate SJP chapter.

Students speak up about METRO line cancelation

Students from Rice and the University of Houston spoke against the cancellation of the METRORapid University Corridor Project at a city council meeting on July 23, 2024. The project proposed a new bus rapid transit system, where buses operate at high frequency within bus-only lanes. Service would have extended across 25 miles in Houston, connecting areas like Westchase and Fifth Ward to central locations including the University of Houston, Texas Southern University, the University of St. Thomas and Houston Community College.

New architecture building nears completion

The William T. Cannady Hall for Architecture approaches completion after breaking ground in September 2022. Cannady Hall is an addition to MD Anderson Hall and is set for dedication on Dec. 5 according to Dean of Architecture Igor Marjanović.

Bob’s Banana Bread: Get bread-y for some late-night pastries

​​While most college students might throw away their overripe bananas, the co-founders of Bob’s Banana Bread turned them into a business. Lovett College juniors Jahnavi Mahajan and Felix Hasson turned a weekly baking session into a new late-night food option for Rice students during the summer of 2024.

Owls on the rise: Forbes ranks Rice in top 10

Rice ranks No. 9 in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges,” marking the first time Rice has scored a top 10 ranking on the list. Last year, Rice ranked No. 22 — the university’s rise can be credited in part to graduates’ low student debt, Forbes wrote. Rice received an ‘A financial grade,’ reflecting overall low student debt upon graduation. Earlier this year, Rice was also named one of the 10 new private Ivy League schools.

Local Foods to land on campus, Brochstein undergoes construction

Texas-based restaurant chain Local Foods will set up shop in Brochstein Pavilion. The pavilion is currently under renovation and set to be completed by the end of September, according to Beth Leaver, interim executive director of Housing and Dining. Family-run catering venture Little Kitchen previously operated out of Brochstein Pavilion, exiting at the end of the spring semester after four years on campus. This renovation is the pavilion’s first major upgrade in 15 years, Leaver said, and will renovate the pavilion’s kitchen and island area. 

Rice gathers for vigil honoring Andrea Rodriguez Avila

Rice students and staff paid their respects to Andrea Rodriguez Avila in a candlelight service, held Aug. 28 in the Rice Memorial Chapel. Over a hundred attendees, including Andrea’s family, filled the chapel’s pews while dozens more stood to the side. The ceremony, hosted by community faith members, opened with remarks from Provost Amy Dittmar.

08-28-2024 Crossword Solutions

08-28-2024 Crossword: "Sodapop"

Amplifying resources during a time of loss

We don’t know what to say, and quite frankly, we don’t know what you all want to hear.

Sylly Week Schedule 2024

8-27-2024 "Owl-American"

‘Doing things the right way’: South Main Collective to open doors for athletes and alumni alike

As Name, Image and Likeness policies become the norm in collegiate athletics, its evolving influence continues to shape Rice athletics’ landscape. Rice was the only remaining university in the American Athletic Conference without an athletics-wide NIL collective last semester, but on Aug. 2, 2024, Director of Athletics Tommy McClelland announced the creation of the South Main Collective as the official NIL collective of Rice Athletics. 

Culture shift drives early success for Rice Soccer in 2024 season

Football looks to maintain forward progress in 2024

“Forward progress” is a football term that refers to the distance a player advances forward while possessing the ball. Once a player’s momentum has been impeded and they are tackled backward, their forward progress is deemed to have stopped and the ball is spotted at that point on the field.

“Imaginal Disk” Takes Magdalena Bay To Extraterrestrial Heights

In the fall of 2021, pop duo Magdalena Bay’s playful debut album “Mercurial World” introduced many to the group’s blend of catchy pop melodies with elements of House, R&B and Electronic music. That album became one of the most acclaimed and beloved pop albums of the decade so far, and few would have imagined that the duo of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin would top their previous effort when their latest project “Imaginal Disk” was announced. With “Imaginal Disk,” Magdalena Bay has announced themselves as the contemporary masters of the pop concept album. More psychedelic and surreal than anything they’ve produced before, “Imaginal Disk” is an eclectic amalgam of the duo’s trademark catchy pop rhythms with electronic, rock and psychedelic sounds that take the duo into new and exciting musical directions.

Local thrifting hot spots

Perseverance. Humility. An eye for beauty. Qualities you must keep close at hand (perhaps in the back pocket of your favorite jeans, or tucked into your worn-down sneakers), ready to be drawn upon at a moment’s notice. Any seasoned, stylish or frugal Houstonian can attest: these are vital components of a thrifter’s repertoire.

Nearby city niceties

Do you have a time in your calendar that needs filling, but don’t want to spend thirty minutes walking in the August heat or $30 on admission? Consider checking out one or more of these activities within  one mile of Rice — all free or discounted with a Rice ID.

Jimmy DeNicco on empathy and economics

Jimmy DeNicco never thought he would be a professor – he had his sights set on working for policy makers in Washington D.C. A graduate school requirement to teach a class won his heart, changing the trajectory of his career.