After reading the Thresher Editorial Board’s “Alumni: If the statue news upset you, think about why” from Feb. 1, 2022, I came to the realization that the discussion of Rice’s history and the history of its benefactors should by no means end there.
A successful organization is far more than just a sum of its parts. As a leading institution, Rice likes to prides itself on its diverse and integrated community. Keeping with Rice’s future-paving spirit, faculty, staff and students all ought to be compensated sensibly. Rice University’s recent minimum wage hike is a step in the right direction for some employees, but falls short in securing reasonable pay for student workers.
Last Monday, we received word that our beloved advisor, Kelley Lash, had passed away. In what was a busy week filled with Student Association election coverage, grappling with indescribable grief then didn’t feel possible. We decided to carry on with our coverage and endorsements as planned — we believed Kelley would have been disappointed if we hadn’t — but we feel ready now to express just how much she meant, and still means, to all of us.
The welcome center at Sewall Hall served as an on-campus polling location for the Texas primary election, polls for which opened Tuesday March 1, following the early voting that ended Feb. 25.
Director of Student Media Kelley Lash passed away on Feb. 21. She was 46 years old.
Former Rice football player Stuart Mouchantaf has been sentenced to 144 months in federal prison for his role in the death of his former teammate, death of his former teammate, Blain Padgett. His ruling states that Mouchantaf must serve three months of supervised release at the end of his sentence.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is to show that Putin’s sphere of influence is greater and the 21st century is not going to be like the post-Cold War period, Zachary Zwald, international security expert, said during a Baker Institute Student Forum panel. BISF hosted the panel of experts to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Feb. 24, with an estimated 115 students in attendance, according to BISF Vice President Thomas Kovac.
One of the dryers in the Hanszen College laundry room was found vandalized with a graphic image followed by a crossed-out phrase that appeared to be a racial slur, as well as the acronym “WRWS” on the morning of Feb. 21, according to an email by Jayaker Kolli, the Will Rice College President, and Izzy Williams, the Will Rice College Chief Justice.
As the Omicron variant led to record-high COVID-19 cases on campus in January, Rice adjusted its own policies, from the format of course delivery to the testing requirement after travel, in response. In anticipation of high case numbers among students due to the high transmissibility of the new coronavirus variant, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman announced late December that Rice may be unable to offer isolation housing to students living on campus. Should Rice run out of isolation space, students who tested positive for COVID-19 or are symptomatic would need to isolate in place.
During this primary election season, we are undoubtedly aware of the high profile candidates running for office. However, there are countless more local and statewide races that are going to appear on our ballots — all of them crucial elected positions that will form the ballot we will vote on in November. Each time we vote, we shape the policies, ideas and experiences that are brought to the table for our city, county and state. These candidates are the people who will directly determine what life looks like for Rice University and the Houstonians surrounding us — in terms of criminal justice, voter suppression and civil rights. Early voting in the primaries has already begun, and will last till Feb. 25 (this Friday), and the closest polling location is located in the first floor of the John P. McGovern building in the Med Center. March 1, this upcoming Tuesday, will be the general election day and polling will be held in the Grand Hall of the RMC — making voting as easy as stopping by the RMC with your driver’s license, personal state-issued ID or passport in hand.
At the Student Association meeting Monday, discussion continued on the SA resolution in response to Rice swimming coach Seth Huston’s comments on the NCAA policy change regarding transgender participation in college-level sport.
Rice will commit to becoming carbon-neutral by 2030, according to an email sent out on Feb. 11 by President David Leebron and incoming President Reginald DesRoches. This change comes after Rice announced that they would go carbon-neutral by 2038 in 2013. According to DesRoches, current provost, Rice felt compelled to speed up their timeline due to the rapid advancement of climate change.
Director of the Ann and John Doerr Institute, Tom Kolditz, announced his departure from Rice, effective June 30. Kolditz founded the institute in 2015 to provide a professional leader development experience for every student at Rice.
The new student center will include a basement auditorium, a two-story multicultural center and a second-floor food court, according to Bridget Gorman, dean of undergraduates. Anzilla Gilmore, the project manager, said that construction is still scheduled to finish by fall 2023.
Beer Bike events will return to pre-pandemic structure this year, according to campus-wide Beer Bike coordinators Paulina Yannitsadis and Sean Judge. Many of the COVID-19 restrictions of last year’s race will be modified or removed.
A new app has been trending on campus, promising authenticity and a new way to connect with friends and family. While Instagram revolves around photos that people can meticulously curate, BeReal is an image-based social media platform that picks a random time every day when users have to post – a condition that is supposed to encourage more natural photos. A daily upload is necessary for a user to see other people’s posts and to interact on the app; users are forced to actively participate rather than passively scroll.
This year, two candidates with distinctly different approaches and areas of expertise are vying for the Student Association presidency. We, the Thresher Editorial Board, endorse Gabrielle Franklin for Student Association President because of her stances on accountability and fostering an inclusive environment for underrepresented students as well as actionable plans to do so.
Based on her abundance of concrete ideas and willingness to learn about the SA, we, the Thresher Editorial Board, believe Crystal Unegbu to be the better candidate for Student Association internal vice president.
