Special Projects

Letter to the Editor: On fairness and trans-inclusivity in athletics

On Feb. 2, 2022, the Thresher published an opinion advocating for Seth Huston to undergo allyship training in response to his comments on trans-women’s participation in women’s sports. While I whole-heartedly endorse several of the authors’ key claims — such as their opposition to House Bill 25 — their interpretation of evidence regarding the effects of hormone therapy on trans-athletes lacks appropriate context, serving as a reminder to critically evaluate evidence in politically fraught discourse.   

Culture of Care requires constant effort from each of us

A one sentence definition of the Culture of Care is impossible to create. Three years ago, it was embodied through building relationships with Housing and Dining workers, walking someone home from a party at 2 a.m. or inviting someone new to join you for lunch. 

Breaks aren’t breaks if there’s a test the next day

Here at the Thresher, we, like most students on campus, like to complain about academic accommodations. Still, we feel the need to bring it back up because some issues persist. Issues that, if we’re being honest, seem easily addressable, especially in this time of constantly-shifting campus norms. We’re talking about professors scheduling exams the week after, and sometimes in the days immediately following, spring break.

Rice receives ‘silver’ distinction for bicycle-friendly campus

The League of American Bicyclists awarded Rice a silver designation as a Bicycle Friendly University, a place up from the bronze designation received in 2017. The silver designation will be active until 2025. 

Moody Foundation announces funding for new student opportunities

The Moody Foundation recently donated $50 million to fund a dozen newly created student opportunity endowments. The funding is part of the Moody Foundation’s $100 million donation announced last September. 

Former SA senator files complaint over SA presidential election

An email endorsement from Rice PRIDE is the focus of a complaint regarding the recent Student Association presidential election. Will Rice sophomore and former SA Senator William Tsai filed his objection with the University Court on March 2.

Masks no longer required indoors

Wearing a face mask is no longer required in the classroom, indoors, outdoors or anywhere on campus for fully vaccinated individuals, according to an announcement from Kevin Kirby, chair of the crisis management advisory committee, on March 13. However, instructors still retain the right to require students to wear masks while in their respective classes if they choose. 

Taylor named first-team All-American at NCAAs, Simpson-Sullivan gets second-team

Freshman jumper Josie Taylor followed up her record-breaking high jump in last month’s Conference USA championships with an eighth place finish at last weekend’s NCAA championships, earning her first-team All-American honors. Meanwhile, sophomore thrower Tara Simpson Sullivan, the only other Owl competing in Birmingham, placed No. 14 in the weight throw to receive second-team All-American honors. According to head coach Jim Bevan, both athletes represented themselves and their school well at the sport’s highest level.

Men’s basketball knocked out of C-USA tourney by top-seeded UNT

In their second game of the Conference USA Tournament, the Rice men’s basketball team was defeated by the University of North Texas 68-50, eliminating them from the tournament. The Owls had advanced to the quarterfinal of the tournament after defeating the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Wednesday night in their opening matchup. 

RMC rebuild delayed, likely for one year

The demolition of the Rice Memorial Center has been postponed, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman wrote to administrators in an email obtained by the Thresher. The delay will likely last one year, she said.

Women’s basketball nears upset, falls to top-seeded Charlotte in C-USA quarterfinal

The hot conference streak came to an end for the Rice women's basketball team on Thursday afternoon when they lost to the east division’s No.1 seed University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the second round of the Conference USA tournament. Coming off of an 18 point victory over Marshall University, the Owls gave the 49ers a scare throughout their quarterfinal matchup, but in the end, the Owls fell short 59-53.

Men's basketball cruises past Charlotte to advance to C-USA quarterfinal

The Rice men’s basketball team defeated the University of North Carolina at Charlotte by a score of 73-61 in the first round of the Conference USA tournament on Wednesday. The win puts the Owls in the quarterfinals of the tournament, matching them up against the University of North Texas, who entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the West division.

Women’s basketball 'wins the day,' trounces Marshall in C-USA tournament opener

The Rice women's basketball team arrived in Frisco, Texas with a bang, defeating  Marshall University by a score of 80-62 in their opening match of the Conference USA tournament. In a rematch of the January contest where the Owls fell to the Thundering Herd at home, the roles reversed with Rice coming out on top, giving them their seventh win in the last eight games. With the win, Rice moves on to tomorrow’s quarterfinal against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Following the game, head coach Lindsay Edmonds said that the win showed how much her team has grown this season.

Powderpuff kickoff marred by accusations of mismanagement

After months of delays, the powderpuff season finally kicked off, with the first slate of games being played this past weekend. While the start to the 2021-2022 women’s flag football season had been scheduled to start in late February, it was pushed back once again before finally taking place over the weekend. Even though the season has now started, some teams still haven’t played a game, and all teams are still awaiting a full schedule. The exact source of the delays — whether they lie with the Club Sports office or with the powderpuff student coordinators — are unclear.

MBB looks to ride offense, hide defense in C-USA tourney

The month of March is usually an exciting time for college basketball teams as they fight for conference glory and a chance to compete in the NCAA tournament. For the Rice men’s basketball, this means they will participate in the Conference USA tournament this week. Winning the C-USA tournament would put the Owls in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1970. The Owls enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed in the West and will face the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the No. 4 seed in the East, on Wednesday in the bracket-style tournament. 

After drastic turnaround, women’s basketball heads into C-USA tourney flying high

Back in late January, any prospects of success in the Conference USA tournament for the Rice women’s basketball team were bleak. The Owls were on a five-game losing streak to start conference play. Fresh off of an agonizing quadruple-overtime loss to the current No. 1 seed in the East division, the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, the Owls had some work to do to get to the position they wanted to be in come March. According to head coach Lindsay Edmonds, that is exactly what they did. Now, the Owls have won six of the last seven games and have secured the fourth seed in the West division going into this week’s C-USA tournament.

Backpage Takes Over Crossword

Women’s hoops closes regular season with blowout win against UTEP, UTSA on Senior Day

The Rice women’s basketball team closed out their regular season with a win over the University of Texas, El Paso by 20 points and capped off their regular season with a 38 point victory on Senior Day over the University of Texas, San Antonio. While the Owls started conference play 0-5, their final home sweep earned them victories in six of their last seven games and a 8-9 conference record. According to head coach Lindsay Edmonds, she is enjoying her team’s recent play as they enter the conference tournament. 

Stand up for free speech now, or it’s only going to get more difficult

This article is not written for the students who put forth and are pushing the SA resolution to denounce Seth Huston’s statements. This article is written for the liberals, the students who don’t engage with the SA or are too afraid to speak up. This is it. Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Ensure student representation at Rice: Enforce the vote

I believe that at the heart of a thoughtful opinion piece lies an acknowledgment of its author’s blindness and that no opinion piece, especially those penned by cis white men, will ever wholistically convey a sociological issue’s full scope and importance. In that spirit, I would like to begin this writing with an admission: though I would like to spark discussion about compulsory voting within the hedges, I will not be able to address all of the nuances of a question as complicated as “How should we, as a community, vote?” in 1000 words.