In-person classes to resume Jan. 24 as dining and alcohol restrictions continue
Most courses will shift to in-person instruction on Jan. 24, according to an announcement from Provost Reginald DesRoches and Chair of the Crisis Management Advisory Committee Kevin Kirby. Restrictions on indoor dining and drinking may continue for two more weeks, Kirby and Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman said.
Instructors can petition for their class to remain virtual if they or someone they live with is at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 or cannot be vaccinated, according to the announcement.
The prohibition on indoor dining, which Gorman originally set through Jan. 23, may continue for an additional week, according to Kirby and DesRoches. Gorman said that restrictions on indoor drinking will correspond with indoor dining.
“We are extending the prohibition against indoor drinking in tandem with the extension for indoor dining, including keeping Willy’s pub closed,” Gorman wrote in an email to the Thresher. “We will provide updates on these as we evaluate the evolving COVID situation and make decisions about indoor eating and drinking over the next few weeks.”
Christopher Johns-Krull, speaker of the Faculty Senate, said managing the concerns of at-risk faculty is important when making decisions about returning to in-person instruction.
“We need to think very carefully, because some of my faculty colleagues have various underlying conditions that generally students don’t have, just because we’re an older population,” Johns-Krull, a professor of physics and astronomy, said.
Masks will continue to be required in all indoor settings, Kirby and DesRoches wrote. According to the announcement, more KN95 masks — which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said provide more protection to the user than cloth or surgical masks — will arrive at Rice later this week.
Johns-Krull said he wants students and faculty to continue masking in the classroom.
“I know many of our faculty feel quite comfortable being in the classroom, particularly with everybody masked,” Johns-Krull said. “I don’t expect any change in the masking policy in the classroom.”
The deadline to add classes has been extended one week to Jan. 28, according to DesRoches and Kirby. In an email to the Thresher, Johns-Krull, the chair of the Academic Restart Committee, said Rice does not plan to extend the drop deadline, currently Feb. 25.
A previous cap on indoor gatherings to 50 people has also been lifted, according to DesRoches and Kirby’s announcement.
More from The Rice Thresher
Rice Students for Justice in Palestine declares ‘liberated zone’ on campus
As student protests erupt across the country, Rice Students for Justice in Palestine launched a “liberated zone” on Rice campus, announced a two-day series of events and started construction on an “apartheid wall.”
Jeremy Zucker headlines second-ever Moody X-Fest
Jeremy Zucker headlined Rice’s second annual Moody X-Fest in Founder’s Court on April 19. In advance of Zucker’s set, student groups like Basmati Beats, Rice Philharmonic and BASYK performed. The festival also offered complimentary merchandise and food from Dripped Birra, Cane’s and Oh my Gogi.
Jones wins men’s and women’s Beer Bike races, GSA snags alumni
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.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.