Campaigning for the four Student Association referenda, targeting divestment and investment transparency, will begin Nov. 20. The voting period will begin Dec. 4 and end Dec. 11 at noon, with the results published Dec. 12.
Rice Alumni Weekend took place from Nov. 1-2. Over 48 hours, alumni gathered for events across campus, including a tailgate party, a community business fair and a town hall led by university president Reggie DesRoches.
Students registered in Harris County this year will vote in dozens of national, state and local races. While races for local and state elected officials see lower turnout than presidential elections, these candidates will be making decisions with local impact on the Rice community.
Wiess College announced that their new public party theme will be a masquerade. The party will be officially titled “Masquerade After Dark” — MAD for short – according to the announcement made during Wiess’ Oct. 18 FITQ. According to Wiess co-Social Vice President Isabelle Shen, the public is scheduled for Jan. 25. Wiess co-Social Vice President Rocio Gras added that the event will be outdoors.
The university launched a new strategic plan that will develop investments in research and teaching over the next decade. The plan, titled “Momentous,” was announced at an Oct. 1 event.
A team of Rice bioengineering alumni recently won first place — and $20,000 — in a nationwide biomedical engineering competition, organized by the National Institute of Health.
Sid Richardson, Martel and Hanszen Colleges have all received a warning regarding a violation of the alcohol policy, according to an email sent by Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman to the three colleges’ presidents and magisters.
Sarofim Hall, the new home of Rice’s art department, is set to be completed next summer, according to university architect George Ristow. Construction of the building enclosure will begin soon, and construction teams are currently laying structural steel, said Ristow.
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.
Jones College won both the women’s and men’s Beer Bike 2024 races, while the Graduate Student Association claimed the alumni team win. Hanszen College bike teams were the runner-up in the alumni and men’s races, while Brown College was the runner-up in the women’s race. Martel and McMurtry Colleges did not bike in the alumni race, according to the Rice Program Council’s final report, and the GSA was disqualified from the men’s race for accidentally sending out two bikers simultaneously.
