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Features

FEATURES 10/24/23 11:27pm

Celebrating 50 years of Night of Decadence

By Lajward Zahra

While the atmosphere prior to Night of Decadence is always animated, this year’s energy is different: It will be the 50th anniversary of Rice’s arguably best known public. While event-goers look into grabbing hot pink outfits for this year’s “Cum on Barbie, let’s get NODy” theme, the Thresher will go over the history of the event.  

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 11:37pm

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 9/19/23 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 9/6/23 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.

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