Special Projects

Local markets on their A-trade

Houston is the fourth largest city in the nation, and with all of that real estate comes plenty of markets to serve the community. Everything from your traditional farmers market to ones with  dancing and carnival rides can be found around the city. Some are only a couple metro rides away from campus, while others offer the chance to see more of Houston’s suburbs. As the weather turns to fall, these outdoor markets are the perfect way to support local Houston businesses and have fun while doing so. 

Best and Worst of ACL 2022: Artists you did and didn’t miss

Every year, festival-goers congregate at Zilker Park for the Austin City Limits Music Festival. This year, the Thresher once again made the trip to see for ourselves what the hype was about (and also to see SZA, who did not disappoint). For those who might want a recap or weren’t able to make it out to the festival this year: first, check out our Spotify playlist, and second, read on for our take on the best and worst performances from both weekends.

Meet the ACL Artist: Maude Latour colors the stage with new sound

On Oct. 8 in the Texas summer heat, Maude Latour took the stage at Austin City Limits Music Festival with glittery makeup and upbeat music. Just before performing her song, “Lola,” Latour led the crowd in a chant of the lyrics, “Keep my girls protected. I’m turned on when I’m respected,” before dedicating the song “to queer people, to trans people, to trans youth and to protecting the right to choose.”

To prevent suicide, we need to talk about it

In December of last year, I drafted an opinion entitled “Dear Rice, We Need to Talk (about suicide).” I chickened out on submitting it to the Thresher because I believed, against my own written argument, that talking about suicidality wouldn’t do anything — wouldn’t prevent death or injury or start the right kind of conversation. I was mostly worried about sending previously-suicidal students back into their own memories, or worse, forcing currently-suicidal students to endure a dialogue so close to their pain. But I believe if we continue in relative silence, the wound will scar, not heal. Rice, we need to talk about suicide. 

If you are struggling, please reach out for help

This week, Izzie Karohl, a Rice alumna, wrote an opinion piece highlighting the need to talk about mental health and suicidality in our community. We at the Thresher want to add to her piece and encourage students who are struggling with their mental health or suicidal ideation to reach out for help, whether from on- or off-campus resources.

No. 22 volleyball swept by No. 18 Baylor

When the Owls dropped the first two sets against No. 18 Baylor University on Wednesday, it felt like the same position they had found themselves in numerous times in a season that’s already featured five comeback wins. But instead of the Owls pulling off their third reverse-sweep of the year, the Bears won set three to clinch the sweep (18-25, 22-25, 17-25). Entering the match ranked No. 22 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll and No. 10 in the Rating Percentage Index, the loss ended the Owls’ 11 game win streak. Following the match, head coach Genny Volpe was disappointed by the Owls’ inability to match Baylor’s efficiency.

O’Rourke campaign holds rally for Rice students near campus

On Thursday, gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke hosted a rally near Rice’s campus as part of his campaign’s tour of colleges and universities across Texas. The rally, which was held at Fleming Park, a few blocks north of campus, was attended by hundreds of Rice students, some neighborhood adults and a few dogs.

10-05-2022 Crossword Solutions

Skyspace debuts new electroacoustic show

This Friday, Oct. 7, composer Elainie Lillios will debut her original composition, “Night Sky,” at the James Turrell “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace as a celebration of its 10-year anniversary.

Rice’s Innovation District Joins Third Ward Community

The Thresher is launching its Special Projects team with a thorough examination of Rice’s Innovation District. As part of Rice’s push beyond the hedges, the Innovation District is under construction in Third Ward, one of Houston’s historically Black neighborhoods. We spoke with the Rice Management Company and with community members, who expressed both hopes for resources and fears of gentrification and displacement. We dove into the data, and we researched the history of Black art in Houston.

Fondren Library to begin providing free menstrual products in bathrooms

Fondren Library will provide free menstrual products in all of the library’s women’s and men’s bathrooms this semester, an effort in collaboration with Rice Women’s Resource Center and Period@Rice.

Reproductive health working group announces updates

On Sept. 28, the reproductive health working group led by Provost Amy Dittmar and Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman announced that Rice will provide educational opportunities and more accessible birth control options like Plan B on campus, the result of a collaboration with Baylor Teen Clinic. President Reginald DesRoches announced the creation of this working group in late August, after Texas’ abortion ban went into effect.

Jones Business, MD Anderson collaborate on healthcare executive leadership workshops

Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center launched the Executive Leadership in Healthcare program, a leadership initiative that aims to help healthcare executives efficiently run their organizations.

BISF hosts expert panel on abortion healthcare policy

On Sept. 29, the Baker Institute Student Forum hosted an expert panel on abortion healthcare. The panel discussed topics like abortion from a healthcare provider’s perspective, abortion advocacy and creating a culture and community of trust at the university level. 

Flying off shelves: Read these banned books

On Oct. 6, Fondren Library is collaborating with Rice’s Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality to present a Banned Books Read Out, where Rice members will read excerpts from their favorite banned or challenged books. In honor of this event, the Thresher has rounded up a list of banned books. The titles are accessible on campus or through Fondren Library’s database, in case you find yourself looking for some new reads during midterm recess.

Going behind the counter with the GMs of Rice’s SRBs

Whether getting a caffeine fix, late-night dinner or their bike repaired, Rice students are no doubt familiar with many of the campus’ student-run businesses. What students often don’t see, though, is behind the scenes of SRBs — a general manager fixing the credit card machine or ensuring the oat milk supply returns. 

Midterm recess activities worth driving for

After a long first few weeks of classes, students get the upcoming fall break to relax and rewind before getting back into the swing of things. If you want to go beyond the hedges this fall break after crushing your papers and exams, here are a few spots within driving distance from Rice to explore during fall break. 

Senior Spotlight: Nida Fatima finds her calling

Nida Fatima was the only girl from her town who moved abroad for college in her year. She grew up in Faisalabad, Pakistan, a two-hour drive away from Lahore.

‘Best Golden Corral you’ve ever been to’: Students talk fanfiction

You can check out some of the earliest fanfictions at Fondren Library — “Paradise Lost” and “Dante’s Inferno” have long been hailed as examples of literary craftsmanship, and it is no secret that they found their roots in what we would commonly call fanfiction today, stories written by a fan of another work of art featuring characters from those works. Some students at Rice may know “50 Shades of Grey,” a “Twilight” fanfiction that found its way to a publishing house. Other students, though, have found community and opportunities for artistic expression within fanfiction and fan communities.

Review: Freddie Gibbs showcases his versatility on his big-label debut ‘$oul $old $eperately’

After signing with Warner Music, Freddie Gibbs released his first album in two years last Friday, “$oul $old $eperately.” Gibbs has been a mainstay of hardcore and boom bap hip-hop over the last decade, acclaimed for his collaborative projects with legendary producers The Alchemist and Madlib. His work with the former landed him his first Grammy Award nomination with “Alfredo” in 2020, and the albums produced by the latter (“Piñata” and “Bandana”) are certainly some of the best hip-hop albums of the 2010s.