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Features

FEATURES 8/29/23 11:50pm

Every theme, everywhere, all at once

By Paige Fastnow

As new students settle in after the largest Orientation Week in Rice history, it’s time to start asking the real question: Which college had the best theme? This week, the Thresher is taking a look at all 11 themes so you can decide for yourself.

FEATURES 8/29/23 11:44pm

‘Life is just a classroom’

By Sejal Gupta

With a Rice Swifties GroupMe exceeding 500 students and a dedicated Instagram page to boot, it makes sense that when COLL 167 ‘Miss Americana: The Evolution and Lyrics of Taylor Swift’ opened on Esther, the first section filled up within the hour. 

FEATURES 8/22/23 11:04pm

Ryan Freidin, artist and networker

By Landry Wood

Sports media is ubiquitous. It is in every cable package, every newspaper and many Twitter feeds. In order for all that content to exist, organizations need videographers and curators, people who can exercise creativity and technical expertise at once; they need people like Ryan Freidin.

FEATURES 8/22/23 10:58pm

Started in the basement, now we’re here: Explore ktru’s history

By Hadley Medlock

From the infamous yellow bumper stickers with rearranged letters to the often eclectic and unique range of music they share, the ktru radio station is an institution well known among the Rice community and even beyond the hedges. Despite this, few know the expansive history behind the iconic radio station and how it came to be the ktru we know and love. 

FEATURES 4/18/23 10:57pm

Ranking Rice publics, best to worst

By Hugo Gerbich-Pais

While I maintain that the best party a Rice student can attend are University of Houston parties, some of this year’s publics have been bearable — enjoyable, even. A few might even be worth their ticket resale price on the Rice Clothing Resale GroupMe.

FEATURES 4/18/23 10:53pm

‘We’re still working’: The future of inter-college events

By Sloane Domingo

Rice’s residential college system is a cornerstone of the university’s culture, frequently touted for its ability to foster a sense of community for students. With 11 different colleges boasting unique structures, traditions and inhabitants, many students find it easy to connect with others within their college. However, while these dynamics produce tight-knit support systems and friend groups, some might find it challenging to broaden their relationships across colleges, and sometimes lack organized opportunities to develop them.

FEATURES 4/18/23 10:51pm

Golden Talon scavenges on campus

By Adam Leff

Normally, the steam tunnels under Rice are off-limits to students. But on Tuesday, April 6, as part of a scavenger hunt organized by a student group called the Order of the Golden Talon, two intrepid teams got the privilege of exploring the steam tunnels under Rice. Duncan College junior Ethan Peck, who was on the winning team, noted that this was one moment when the team had doubts about the hunt.

FEATURES 4/18/23 10:51pm

Leebron lives up sabbatical year

By Michelle Gachelin

After 18 years as the president of Rice, David Leebron has been spreading his wings. During what he refers to as his sabbatical year, emphasizing that he is too young to be retired, his pastimes have included skiing and attending musicals. He also spends his time listening to Aretha Franklin and Bob Marley.

FEATURES 4/11/23 10:56pm

Alumni re-explore Rice lore

By Jonah Sposito

From setting off fireworks in students’ rooms to painting the ceiling of Hanszen to massive food wars, anything can happen within the hedges at Rice. The Thresher compiled some of the best lore and unique stories from Rice over the years.

FEATURES 4/4/23 10:14pm

‘Disgraced financial analyst’ Matthew Broussard talks being funny

By Riya Misra

A self-described “disgraced financial analyst,” Matthew Broussard (’10) was crowned Houston’s Funniest Person a mere two years after graduating from Rice with a degree in computational and applied mathematics. What started as doing open mics as a hobby before transitioning to full-time comedy, Broussard has since appeared on shows like Comedy Central and Conan, prodded John Mayer about his ex-girlfriends on Roast Battle and created a puzzle app called Monday Punday. He has also met Chris Hemsworth once in an elevator.

FEATURES 4/4/23 10:14pm

Black at Rice: Zahrah Butler keeps good company

By Nithya Ramcharan

According to Zahrah Butler, everyone should shave their head at least once. Now a senior, Butler commented on their growth over the years and how shaving their head after wearing long dreadlocks came to symbolize that growth and the environment that propelled it. Looking back, they said they have become stronger and more capable of thriving in the face of adversity.

FEATURES 4/4/23 10:09pm

Rice Eclipse launches rockets, shoots for stars

By Adam Leff

While most Rice students were sleeping in the morning of March 26, a group of students were in transit to launch rockets an hour away. These students had spent hours working in the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen on their rockets with Rice Eclipse and were now ready to get their L1 rocketry certification.

FEATURES 3/28/23 10:15pm

VADA events coordinator Maria Martinez does it all

By Sarah Knowlton

As events coordinator for Rice’s Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts, Maria Martinez is currently booking films for Rice Cinema, distributing events calendars, finding studio models, assisting with student-run gallery Sleepy Cyborg, talking to local artists and responding to emails. She’s also making a lot of coffee. 

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