Features

FEATURES 10/24/23 11:25pm

Quiet country life: best ways to take a rustication vacation

By Amelia Davis

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, to “rusticate” is “to stay or live in the countryside; to live a quiet country life.” Rustication at Rice is a prohibition from living on campus and taking part in college life and activities — a softer cousin to expulsion. However, living “a quiet country life” is a serious blow to the social calendar and probably not most students’ idea of a perfect time at Rice. With that in mind, here are some ways to get rusticated for you to avoid … or not.

FEATURES 10/17/23 11:40pm

Students show their appreciation for H&D

By Shruti Patankar

When most of campus is in bed, recovering from Pub or a late night studying at Fondren, Sandra Salgado is preparing to leave her house at 4:15 a.m. Salgado, a cashier at North Servery, starts her shift at 5:30 a.m. and works six days per week. She was previously employed at a nearby warehouse and would visit campus during her breaks.

FEATURES 10/17/23 11:38pm

Show you grow: Houston’s best plant stores

By Margo Gee

Midterms got you seeing red? Go for green instead at these local plant stores.

FEATURES 10/17/23 11:37pm

Will Rice will plant

By Nishanka Kuthuru

When wandering through campus, it’s hard not to be captivated by the verdant stretches of lush green grass, the tapestry of trees and even the occasional mushroom sprouting in unexpected corners. But amidst this panorama, there is an absence of vibrant flowers.

FEATURES 10/4/23 12:08am

Alumni point future engineers towards the stars

By Adam Leff

Of the 30 mechanical engineers in John H. Scott’s 1982 graduating class at Rice, four would end up at the level of department head or higher at NASA. Scott himself was among them; now the principal technologist for power and energy storage, he noted that many of his classmates wound up in similar leadership roles.

FEATURES 10/4/23 12:07am

Rice’s properties: down to Earth and out of the park

By Amelia Davis

Many Rice students know that the university owns and leases some of the land in Rice Village. Lesser known, however, is the scope of Rice’s extensive and occasionally eccentric real estate holdings, which cover everything from the basics to the land that holds a women’s clothing retailer in the Rice Village, the Impeccable Pig.

FEATURES 10/4/23 12:04am

Laura Correa Ochoa connects her students with revolution

By Gale Gai

In her syllabus for her course HIST 237 Radicals in the Americas, Laura Correa Ochoa poses a question: “What worlds were radicals in the Americas imagining and building?” Ochoa said her mission is to bring to light the role racial inequality has played in the recent history of Latin America and the Caribbean, especially in her birthplace of Colombia.

FEATURES 10/4/23 12:03am

Chopd & Stewd fest celebrates West African food

By Morike Ayodeji

The aroma of African spices, sounds of afrobeats and a vibrant energy filled the sky lawn at POST thanks to Rice MBA alumnus Ope Amosu ‘14, the visionary behind the Chopd & Stewd festival. The event was a day-long culinary and cultural celebration of the West African diaspora, taking place Sept. 30, the eve of Nigerian Independence Day.

FEATURES 9/26/23 11:52pm

Unconventional wisdom, unconventional purchases

By Rohan Palavali

Whether it’s College Night, Beer Bike or just another quad event, Rice’s residential colleges often shop for some unique items. From inflatable gorillas to 188 individual Squishmallows, the Thresher took a look at some of the colleges’ silliest acquisitions.

FEATURES 9/26/23 11:49pm

‘They do make a difference’: Rice registers to vote

By Juliana Lightsey

Another election season is upon us, with local candidates and amendments on the ballot. Rice’s civic engagement organizations are making an effort to amplify the voices of young adults and register as many students as possible in the coming months.

FEATURES 9/26/23 11:48pm

Rice athletes make an IMPACT on Houston community

By Kelly Guo

When they aren’t at practice or zipping to class on their scooters, Rice’s student athletes have been working to connect with the Houston community.

FEATURES 9/19/23 11:16pm

Quirky college traditions to sweeten your week

By Noah Berz

We all love Radio Free Sid and Baker 13, but are you feeling tired of the same old songs and shaving cream year after year? Here’s a list of lesser-known college traditions that might break up some of the monotony. Grab a snack while you’re at it.

FEATURES 9/19/23 11:14pm

Timothy Morton likes to find things in weird places

By Hadley Medlock

A well-known mind in ecological studies, pen pal of Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk and English professor at Rice, Timothy Morton is a modern-day philosopher. With over 15 books published and translated in over 10 languages, Morton said they’ve spent their career learning how to help people talk about environment, ecology and inherent meaninglessness.

FEATURES 9/13/23 12:36am

Museums & mission control: Rice students take on unconventional summer internships

By Hongtao Hu

From Christie’s to NASA, students took advantage of the myriad internship opportunities available at Rice. Fellowships and club connections helped these Owls to gain career experience and broaden their horizons this summer.

FEATURES 9/12/23 11:00pm

Hoot ‘em or hook ‘em? Houston covers the spread in fun and culture

By Gale Gai

Even though Rice football fell to the University of Texas, Austin on Saturday, Sept. 2, let’s not forget who’s boss in the Lone Star State. When it comes to the space race, size, sports, expenses and school, Houston has Austin beat.

FEATURES 9/12/23 10:57pm

Freezing cold takes with Chief and Justice

By Hamza Saeed

“Okay, so let’s say I have a gun to your head, because I just went ahead and robbed a bank … I need you to tell me who you are in 10 seconds.” (The Thresher always starts with hard-hitting questions.)

FEATURES 9/12/23 10:56pm

Mr. Worldwide: CLIC offers study abroad in eight countries

By Murtaza Kazmi

Dozens of Rice students traveled to eight countries in the past year to earn course credit through the Center for Language and Intercultural Communication’s Rice in Country program.

FEATURES 9/6/23 12:14am

Rice researchers talk media bias, nuance

By Juliana Lightsey

Sifting through the cacophonous jumble of information available at the tap of a screen can be a daunting task. Modern online socialization means the news we receive is never-ending, multifaceted and sometimes dangerous. What are the implications of the rampant accusations of biased journalism and misinformation in today’s academic climate? Researchers at Rice have some ideas.

FEATURES 9/6/23 12:09am

Hot clubs in your area

By Sejal Gupta

The Rice Memorial Center was packed with over 350 booths and crowds of students scanning GroupMe QR codes on Sept. 1. The Student Activities Fair boasted clubs of all kinds. The Thresher has compiled a list of new and returning clubs for anyone on the hunt for another extracurricular activity.

FEATURES 9/6/23 12:07am

Late-night dining at Rice is hard to come by. Sid Richardson College just made it easier.

By Paige Fastnow

With the serveries closed and the Hoot only open for some of the week, late-night dining at Rice quickly becomes limited. But a new initiative at Sid Richardson College has set its sights on changing that.