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FEATURES 1/14/20 11:33pm

Amongst “happiest students,” dissatisfaction persists

By Rachel Carlton

Last semester alone, students wrote over 35 op-eds and letters to the editor, addressing particularly controversial events at Rice and other salient issues facing the student body: from students donning ICE agent costumes to the use of the n-word at Rice to the university’s decision to let a student who was found guilty of assault graduate.

FEATURES 12/26/19 4:58pm

A Decade of Thresher: 2013 Recap

By Christina Tan

In February of 2013, over 1,000 Rice students gathered in the Academic Quad to do the most 2013 thing ever: the Harlem Shake. Just in time too, as 2013 was the year that infamous video-platform Vine took hold of popular culture with its seven-second videos. In 2013, indie-rock band Vampire Weekend released their hit album “Modern Vampires of the City and then waited six years to release their next one this year. It was also the year of the game-changing release of iOS 7, which introduced flat icon design and a control center, changes discussed by Thresher staffers. 

FEATURES 12/22/19 4:33pm

A Decade of Thresher: 2012 Recap

By Christina Tan and Rynd Morgan

Outside of Herring Hall sit two massive humanoid figures composed of letters and numbers. A current staple of the Central Quad landscape, Jaume Plensa’s “Mirror” sculpture was installed in 2012, the centennial (100th) year of Rice. Another staple of campus, the James Turrell Skyspace, also opened in 2012. It was a year of celebrations but also of turmoil, as ten students were transported by Emergency Medical Services from Wiess College’s public party, Night of Decadence, prompting a permanent revision of the Alcohol Policy and a ban on hard alcohol consumption.

FEATURES 12/15/19 7:41pm

A Decade of Thresher: 2011 Recap

By Christina Tan

Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in “A Decade of Thresher,” a commemoration of another decade of Thresher coverage. BBC News called 2011 “the year when a lot happened,” highlighted by the fact its site received 15 million unique site visits in a day (in November 2019, BBC received 519 million visits). An earthquake rocked Japan, Osama Bin Laden was killed, protests in the Middle East became the Arab Spring and then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords survived a shooting in Tucson, Arizona. 

FEATURES 12/13/19 2:03pm

A Decade of Thresher: 2010 Recap

By Christina Tan

In 2010, most current seniors were in sixth grade or just about to graduate from elementary school. “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha topped the charts followed by its antithesis, “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum. An important technology benchmark, 2010 was the year mobile game Angry Birds began to gain popularity, coupled with the release of the iPhone 4.

NEWS 12/13/19 12:33pm

Dean of Engineering Reginald DesRoches to become ninth provost

By Christina Tan

The provost is considered the chief academic officer of the university, overseeing “academic, research, scholarly and creative programs and activities,” according to the provost’s office. 65 years after the first provost took office, DesRoches will be the first Black provost in Rice’s history, following Miranda’s appointment as the first female provost. 

NEWS 12/10/19 3:16pm

Four suspects indicted after RUPD investigation into eight on-campus burglaries

By Christina Tan

A grand jury indicted four male suspects for their alleged involvement in a rash of on-campus burglaries last year which totaled $20,534 in damages, according to Rice University Police Department Chief of Police James Tate.  The four suspects, now awaiting trial after last Monday’s indictment, could face felony charges and up to $10,000 in fines if found guilty of the charges brought against them by RUPD. A resolution of the case would also account for all reported on-campus burglaries in 2018, according to RUPD Lieutenant of Investigations Derrick McClinton.

SPORTS 11/19/19 9:47pm

Football ends winless streak

By Madison Buzzard

Rice football won its first game of the season, defeating Middle Tennessee State University 31-28 on Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Owls are 1-9 on the season and have lost 19 out of 22 games for the last two years with Mike Bloomgren at the helm. Rice now stands at No. 6 in Conference USA’s West Division. 

NEWS 11/17/19 3:53pm

Pompeo confronts foreign policy, but not impeachment in 'quid pro quo' visit to Baker Institute

By Rishab Ramapriyan

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke about the “natural hunger for human freedom,” criticized the Communist Party of China and fielded questions regarding U.S. foreign policy in countries  such as Syria and Mexico as part of his Friday visit to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. Outside the event and in the Rice Memorial Center, students staged demonstrations in response to his visit. 

FEATURES 11/6/19 4:02pm

Students, alumni recount experiences with mental health at Rice

By Amy Qin

The Thresher opinion piece by an anonymous student describing his deferral from Rice following a schizophrenic episode and the 2017 hospitalization of Michael Lu highlight stories of mental health on campus that are often kept under wraps. Hoping to shed more light on the topic, we opened a call for submissions to both students and alumni. We present their stories here and hope they provide a glimpse into the intensely personal, difficult journey that constitutes seeking care.

NEWS 11/1/19 5:04pm

Faculty, students dedicate Dia de los Muertos to children who have died in ICE custody

By Anna Ta

Over 50 students and faculty dedicated their celebration of el Día de Los Muertos to the remembrance to the children who have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. The event was held by the today in Rayzor Hall from four to six  p.m. Students were urged to attend the event after photos circulated of students dressed as ICE officers at the Halloween event at Willy’s Pub. The photos caused outrage and responses from administration and student leadership. 

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