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Features

FEATURES 2/14/23 11:43pm

Finding love next door: Married professors talk love, literature

By Grace Zhou

The circulation desk at Fondren is perhaps one of Rice’s most underrated matchmaking spots. Back in 2001, it was where now-married professors Sarah Ellenzweig and Scott McGill first met. Ellenzweig had already been teaching at Rice for a year, while McGill had just started teaching in the Classics department.

FEATURES 1/31/23 10:50pm

Owls after dark builds community

By Adam Leff

Tahj Blackman, assistant director of campus events, keeps an array of Lego sculptures in his office, remnants from a competition he helped host on Jan. 19. Owls After Dark, a late-night events program, recently hosted this Lego competition in collaboration with the Doerr Institute.

FEATURES 1/31/23 10:48pm

How to be single on Valentine’s Day

By Zaara Shafi

Being able to genuinely enjoy time by yourself is a rare feat. Everyone is swept up in the whirlwind of constantly socializing. Being alone and having fun with yourself is something many values. Yet, having fun alone is the ultimate power move. This Valentine’s Day, take pride in being able to celebrate self-love even if you aren’t celebrating a romantic relationship. After all, you can’t exactly break up with yourself, so show yourself some love and foster this important relationship. Take a break from social media and doom-scrolling, and recharge by taking some time off studying. Here are some exciting solo dates perfect for a session of self-love wooing.

FEATURES 1/31/23 10:47pm

Leave before you get left: Navigating your V-day situationship

By Riya Misra

So your situationship ended things by saying “we’re not friends with benefits because we’re not really friends,” and now ten months later, you’re sitting on the Texas Medical Center sidewalk crying on his shoulder. Happy Valentine’s Day. So you’re not single and you’re not cuffed. You’re stuck in the weirdest, worst in-between stage possible: the situationship. I am — resentfully so — a seasoned veteran, so here’s my advice: end it. If you won’t listen to that, because there is absolutely no reason to ever listen to my advice, then read some situationship V-Day plans I’ve rounded up for you.

FEATURES 1/31/23 10:45pm

I’m happy for you and not jealous at all: V-Day couples activities

By Felicity Phelan

So Valentine’s Day is here, and you get to spend it frolicking around with your other half and basking in mutual affection. That’s awesome. No, really. Everyone at the Thresher is so happy for you. Especially me, whose Valentine’s plans entail a very romantic Zoom call with my long-distance partner. Though I can’t participate myself, I’ve rounded up some activities for you lucky little monsters to do with your sweethearts. Go forth, enjoy, and remember to send your single friends an apology Venmo on the 15th.

FEATURES 1/24/23 10:28pm

Take it or leave it: EUA hosts book exchange event

By Nishanka Kuthuru

The English Undergraduate Association hosted a “Take a Book, Leave a Book” event on Thursday, Jan. 19, where people could swap books with other students to refresh their collections. The EUA also welcomed students to just stop by and chat with others about their favorites and pick up a free book — or two. 

FEATURES 1/17/23 11:58pm

Owls run past the hedges, into Houston

By Riya Misra

The Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston’s annual marathon hosted every January, took place on Jan. 14 and 15 this past weekend. Rice students, faculty and even president alike took part, running anywhere from 3.1 to a whopping 26.2 miles.

FEATURES 1/17/23 11:54pm

Oh nori they didn’t: Lovetteers try for sushi world record

By Zoe Katz

It’s a frequent joke that Rice students never travel beyond the hedges of campus. But a group of students at Lovett College are trying to change this stereotype with a single sushi roll. Lovett’s sushi committee, founded by Resident Associate Naoko Ozaki during the 2021-2022 academic year, has two objectives: break a world record for the longest sushi roll and use the event as a catalyst for local outreach. 

FEATURES 1/17/23 11:52pm

Guggenheim Fellow Tomás Q. Morín on music, inspiration

By Sarah Knowlton

Poet and assistant creative writing professor Tomás Q. Morín does not like musicals. “I’ve never liked the movie ‘The Sound of Music.’ That was one of the first [musicals] that I really intensely disliked,” Morín said. “As an adult, when I discovered [jazz saxophonist John] Coltrane’s version of ‘My Favorite Things,’ it just completely blew my mind, and while it didn’t change my feelings about the movie, it definitely changed my feelings about the song.” 

FEATURES 1/17/23 11:51pm

Behind closed doors: FLI students navigate SSI resources

By Michelle Gachelin

How does a school ranked No. 1 for both its race/class interaction and quality of life provide resources for students experiencing financial, academic or personal burdens? The Office of Student Success Initiatives, and by extension Rice’s resources for first generation and/ or low-income students, runs largely through word of mouth, according to director Araceli Lopez.

SPECIAL PROJECTS 1/10/23 10:23pm

Student workers discuss job conditions on campus

 

Student workers are everywhere on campus. Rice undergraduates run O-Week, play a role in academic advising, manage large residential college budgets, work for the athletic department and more. What conditions do these student workers face?

FEATURES 1/10/23 10:16pm

Inked: Exploring the stories behind student tattoos

By Sarah Knowlton

The letter ‘Oht,’ a runic character and video game logo, is emblazoned on Felicity Phelan’s inner wrist. It was their first tattoo, Phelan said. “‘Oblivion’ was the first ‘real’ video game I ever played, and the ‘Elder Scrolls’ series is one of my favorites,” Phelan said. “In the game, there are these portals you go through, and the logo is the shape of one of those portals. Since ‘Oblivion’ was my first video game, I think of it as my ‘portal’ into the world of video games and thought it was fitting for a first tattoo.”

FEATURES 1/10/23 10:08pm

Owls fly high: Students talk work on Artemis missions

By Abigail Robert

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Artemis. Artemis 1, NASA’s first mission in a series of lunar exploration trips, launched in November 2022. Perhaps you saw some of your Rice peers’ handiwork — as Rice and NASA continue to collaborate, several Rice students are able to contribute to the Artemis missions through the Johnson Space Center’s Pathways Program.

FEATURES 1/10/23 10:01pm

Looking back at Rice’s first year of Gulf Scholars Program

By Danika Li

From sewer overflows to environmental resilience toolkits, Rice students are becoming better equipped to handle an ongoing climate crisis. The Gulf Scholars Program at Rice is supported by the National Academies Gulf Research Program, which provides support for similar programming at universities in the Gulf of Mexico region. The environmental studies program specializes in action related to local-level challenges faced by communities in the Gulf of Mexico region. According to the program website, participants will address challenges in areas of community health and resilience, environmental protection and offshore energy safety.

FEATURES 11/29/22 11:44pm

World Cup fever infects campus

By Diego Palos Rodriguez

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 began Nov. 20 and has brought much of the world to a halt with each game. From last-second winners to amazing goals and seat-clenching upsets, the drama has been high and the world has been captivated by it. Students at Rice are no exception, with a number of watch parties taking place everyday to celebrate and give students a place to cheer on their favorite countries and players. The Pub at Rice has streamed many of the games and has been a hub for many soccer fans in the past week, according to Will Rice College senior and head bartender Jonathan Lloyd.

FEATURES 11/29/22 11:44pm

Deck the halls with these holiday activities

By Disha Baldawa

If you are looking to explore Houston in its peak holiday season, want to escape campus during dead days or would just like to unfreeze your inner Mariah Carey, look no further for a list of holiday attractions around campus this December. 

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