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SPORTS 8/24/21 11:16pm

Going for gold: Ahalya Lettenberger’s path to Tokyo

By Reed Myers

For some, swimming is just a hobby. But for junior swimmer Ahalya Lettenberger, it is much more than that; it is her freedom. Lettenberger, who was born with arthrogryposis amyoplasia, a muscular-skeletal condition in her legs, will fulfill a lifelong goal as she competes in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the coming days.

NEWS 8/19/21 11:31am

Classes delayed by two days, all online for two weeks

By Savannah Kuchar and Talha Arif

Classes will begin two days later than planned on August 25, and instruction will be all online for at least the first two weeks of the semester, according to an email from Provost Reginald DesRoches. This change follows a recent rise in COVID-19 cases on campus, as well as across the Houston area as the delta variant becomes more predominant, according to DesRoches.

NEWS 5/27/21 8:27am

Leebron to step down in 2022, reflects on past years

By Talha Arif

President David Leebron announced that he will be stepping down from his role after this coming academic year on June 30, 2022 in an email to the Rice community Tuesday morning. Next year will mark Leebron’s 18th year as president after taking on the position in 2004. 

SPORTS 5/25/21 2:01pm

Bragga fired after three seasons

By Daniel Schrager

Rice fired baseball head coach Matt Bragga, the school announced on Monday. The move comes on the heels of a season in which the Owls placed tenth out of the 12 teams in Conference USA, failing to make the C-USA tournament for the first time ever. In his three seasons at the helm, the Owls have gone 51-76-1 (25-36-1). According to athletic director Joe Karlgaard, the lack of progress shown during Bragga’s tenure prompted the change.

NEWS 4/23/21 3:56pm

Rice rescinds outdoor mask requirement, testing no longer required for fully vaccinated community members

By Hajera Naveed

Rice announced today that there will no longer be a mask requirement in outdoor spaces and that fully vaccinated individuals will not be required to take weekly COVID-19 tests, in an email sent to the Rice community by Kevin Kirby, chair of the Crisis Management Advisory Committee. The announcement follows the results of a community survey of vaccination status, which revealed that 74 percent of the Rice community members have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

NEWS 4/20/21 11:35pm

Updated Beer Bike results cause controversial first-place tie in men’s race, second-place tie in women’s

By Talha Arif

Hanszen College tied with Jones College for first place in the men’s race while also tying with Jones for second place in the women’s race, according to updated Beer Bike 2021 results posted by Rice Program Council. These times were adjusted following a petition submitted by Hanszen due to discrepancies in their own recorded time versus RPC’s time. McMurtry College won the women’s race by almost 40 seconds.

A&E 4/13/21 11:15pm

KTRU Outdoor Show brings music, art to campus scene and virtual screens

By Morgan Gage

As the close of the semester approaches, KTRU wants to help end the academic year on a high note. KTRU’s annual Outdoor Show will round out the end of the semester — albeit in a different format than what we have seen in years past. On April 24 from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Rice community will have the chance to gather in the central quad — distanced and masked — for what Katelyn Landry, this year’s organizer for ODS, called a “mini music and art festival.” This year’s show will consist of screenings and livestreams of artists’ pre-recorded sets, an art installation, Houston food trucks on sight and an opportunity for the Rice community to connect with each other through music and art whether in-person or virtually. 

SPORTS 3/31/21 12:02am

Rice fight never dies: Owls take home the NIT title in dominant fashion

By Derrick Kagwanja

Following an 18-4 regular season, the Rice women’s basketball team made history in the postseason by becoming the first-ever Conference USA team to win the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. The Owls qualified for the WNIT, which consists of 32 teams who narrowly missed out on the NCAA tournament, after their last-second loss in the C-USA title game cost them a spot in March Madness.. The Owls fought past their opponents in bracket play, winning every game by double-digits, before defeating the University of Mississippi in Sunday’s final by a score of 71-58. 

FEATURES 3/23/21 11:18pm

‘The only way out is to vaccinate ourselves out’: Students hustle to get COVID-19 vaccines

By Hadley Medlock

After Governor Greg Abbott lifted the state-wide mask mandate for Texas on March 10, getting a COVID vaccine has become more important than ever to many Rice students. An impromptu vaccine drive was held at Rice’s East Gym during the winter freeze a few weeks back, but only around 800 doses were available. Students ran across the icy campus and stood in 20-degree weather for hours to try and receive a vaccine, but there just weren’t enough for everyone. Because many were unable to get the vaccine during that time, Rice students have recently been scheming for other ways to get their hands — or arms — on a dose. 

FEATURES 3/16/21 10:57pm

‘It’s just brutal’: Two students reflect on losing loved ones to COVID-19

By Ella Feldman

Baker College sophomore Lily Sethre-Brink’s grandfather was named Willis, but she called him Grandpa Will. He was stern but witty, she said, and they would always make blueberry pie together. He did a mean Cookie Monster impression, and when Sethre-Brink was a little kid, she would pretend to fall asleep in his lap so that she could stay in his arms longer. And he always loved to hear her sing. 

NEWS 3/16/21 10:30pm

Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice Task Force solicits opinions on Willy’s Statue through survey

By Hajera Naveed and Bonnie Zhao

 The Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice asked Student Association presidents on March 7 to send out a survey regarding Willy’s statue to college presidents, who were asked to send it to their respective college students. The survey asked if the statue of William Marsh Rice should be removed from the Academic Quad and asked how they reached that answer. Responders were instructed to write as little or as much as they would like.  

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