Special Projects

Alison Qiu runs for IVP without opposition

Alison Qiu, a sophomore from Hanszen College, is running uncontested for the Student Association internal vice-president position.  Previously the  SA new student representative for Hanszen her freshman year, Qiu now serves as the Hanszen senator.

Sex Week heats up campus

This Monday marked the beginning of two Sex Weeks at Rice, one hosted by the Student Association’s Student Health Services Committee and another by the club Sex Week Educational Awareness Team at Rice. Both weeks are devoted to increasing awareness within the Rice community about sexual health and wellness.

Sachdeva runs uncontested for treasurer

Yuv Sachdeva, a Jones College sophomore, is running uncontested for Student Association treasurer.

Ni runs unopposed for SA president

Fresh off his term as Student Association treasurer, Jones College sophomore Solomon Ni is running unopposed for SA president.

Online ticketing system MurtPass debuts at Y2K

McMurtry College held their annual Y2K public on Saturday, Feb. 4, launching the online MurtPass ticketing system developed by McMurtry senior Eliot Solomon.

Faculty senate makes Election Day 2024 non-instructional

The faculty senate passed a Student Association sponsored resolution on Feb. 1, making the 2024 presidential Election Day a non-instructional civic engagement day. Therefore, no classes will be scheduled on Nov. 5, 2024, a change that currently only applies to the 2024 academic year. 

Halas becomes second woman named University Professor

Naomi Halas was recently named University Professor, the highest academic title Rice offers. Halas, the only Rice faculty member to be elected to both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering for her research at Rice, is the tenth person and second woman to receive the honor in Rice’s 111-year-history. 

Campus munches on meal plan changes one semester later

Last semester, Rice made changes to Meal Plan A that included the introduction of “Munch,” an additional meal period between 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on weekdays and an adjustment in how meal swipes are recorded. According to David McDonald, director of Housing & Dining, these changes resulted in an  increase to the amount of meals being served per day, something McDonald expects to continue in future semesters.

Black at Rice: Malaika Bergner fosters a found community

When Black Student Association President Malaika Bergner came to Rice, she and a group of other Black freshmen girls started eating lunch together.

“Bigger and better”: Africayé! the Musical is back

Africayé, the Rice African Student Association’s annual cultural showcase, is being held at the Shepherd School of Music’s Stude Concert Hall for the first time in history on Feb. 18, with doors opening at 4 p.m. Celebration of African culture is at the core of Africayé, from the overarching storyline to the food, music and fashion show. This year’s theme is Africayé! The Musical, with the aim of spotlighting the art, dance and music that come from African culture.

Rice Divorce Pact

2-15-2023 Sports Cartoon: "Owl-American"

MBB falls to conference-leading FAU in high scoring affair

The Rice men’s basketball team fell 90-81 to Florida Atlantic University on Thursday. It was a matchup of the Owls, but ultimately Sammy and Rice were no match for Owlsley and FAU, who remained undefeated at home and moved to 23-2 on the season. The loss was Rice’s fourth consecutive in conference play, dropping the Owls to 6-7 record in Conference USA and 15-9 on the season. 

Five years later, Wayne Graham reflects on retirement, end of Rice tenure

Wayne Graham lives in Austin now. A lifelong Houstonian, the former Rice baseball coach decided to move three hours east in 2020 after spending nearly each of the first 84 years of his life in the Bayou City. But according to Graham, who left the Owls after 27 seasons in 2018, he doesn’t miss his hometown.

Smigelski hopes to build on breakout freshman season

When your name is mentioned in the same breath as former Rice Owl and MLB all-star Anthony Rendon, you’re in good company. For sophomore infielder Aaron Smigelski, that honor was bestowed early in his career, as he became the first Owl since Rendon to hit two home runs in a game three different times over the course of his freshman campaign.

Baseball regroups ahead of Cruz’s second season

When Rice baseball named Jose Cruz Jr. as their new head coach in June of 2021 — on the heels of the program’s first four consecutive losing seasons since the 1980s — the decision was lauded as a step in the right direction. The 2022 season, Cruz’s first at the helm, was anything but, with the Owls’ posting a 17-39 record and failing to appear in the Conference USA tournament for a third consecutive year. 

Review: ‘Magic Mike’ didn’t go full frontal — for the better

Walking into the theater in a three-piece suit and a beret, we were salivating. Sara was salivating thinking of the food we planned to grab afterwards. Hamza was salivating for some of that Magic Mike action. Neither of us had seen a Magic Mike movie before this one, hoping that the fresh perspective we could offer would lead to greater insights, or at least some surprises. What this actually led to was one hour and 52 minutes of laughter and Hamza attempting to dance along to scenes that had no business being danced to. 

Review: Rushdie’s latest novel is a victorious return

As epic as the genre of poetry it is imitating, Salman Rushdie’s “Victory City” is an exquisite novel. Reading like a rom-com, a heroic adventure tale and a political thriller at the same time,s it is a powerful return for Rushdie – the first book he has published since he was brutally attacked in August 2022 at an event in New York. “Victory City” is Rushdie’s thirteenth book, and was released 42 years after he published “Midnight’s Children,” which won the Booker Prize and was also named the “best novel of all winners” twice.

Plate to Plate: Asian-style steak plates face off

One of my all-time favorite meals is a rice plate. The varying protein options, sides and sauces make for a highly customizable meal catered to many different preferences. Every restaurant has its own rendering on the traditional concept, creating unique flavor profiles from different seasonings and cooking styles. Naturally, I had to compare two Asian-style steak rice plates around Rice campus.

Moody Center unveils new Project Wall exhibit

The Moody Center for the Arts recently unveiled their newest Moody Project Wall exhibit, “Swarm Migration,” by Houston artist Bennie Flores Ansell. The new exhibit features a mural made of 3D-printed wishbones representing student and artist stories about migration. The opening reception for “Swarm Migration” will be Feb. 15 from 6 - 8 p.m. and feature the artist and other project collaborators.