News

NEWS 4/6/21 10:20pm

Larry McMurtry, author and Rice alum, passes at age 84

By Talha Arif

Larry McMurtry (class of ’60), a novelist and screenwriter who attended and taught English courses at Rice University, passed away on March 25 at age 84. He is survived by his wife, son, siblings and grandson.

NEWS 3/30/21 11:59pm

Rice receives 4,000 doses of vaccine to distribute, Fall semester expected to be ‘largely normal’

By Rishab Ramapriyan and Rynd Morgan

Rice University announced yesterday that the state of Texas will give the university 4,000 first doses of Pfizer vaccine for distribution on campus. The first clinic will be Thursday, April 1 in Tudor Fieldhouse, according to Vice President of Administration Kevin Kirby.

NEWS 3/30/21 11:50pm

Colleges change Willy Week name due to event restrictions, conversations about Willy’s Statue

By Rynd Morgan

Several colleges have changed the name of Willy Week this year due to the different structure of the week compared to past years, including the restrictions on the types and frequency of events that can be held due to the pandemic, and because of the ongoing conversation regarding Willy’s statue.

NEWS 3/30/21 6:12pm

Rice releases regular decision results, accepts record number of applicants

By Savannah Kuchar

At 5:00 p.m. today, the Rice University Office of Admission released regular decision results. This year, Rice gave a record number of admission offers to 2,749 applicants from all 50 states and 68 countries, according to Vice President for Enrollment Yvonne Romero da Silva.

NEWS 3/29/21 5:22pm

Rice announces twelfth residential college, student body expansion approved

By Ivanka Perez

Rice announced today that it will open a twelfth residential college to account for the plan to expand the student body by 20 percent, which Rice's Board of Trustees has just approved.The undergraduate class is expected to grow to 4,800 by 2025 from its current enrollment of 4,052 students (Fall 2020), according to the press release.

NEWS 3/23/21 11:24pm

Debate team wins national championship

By Bonnie Zhao

Rice University’s debate team won the national championship in the National Parliamentary Debate Association 2021 Championship Tournament. It won first place in Overall Season Sweepstakes, Open (Varsity) Division Season Sweepstakes and Overall Tournament Sweepstakes, according to David Worth, the director of the team.

NEWS 3/23/21 11:14pm

Beer Bike races will follow revised format to ensure COVID-19 safety

By Savannah Kuchar

Beer Bike races will stretch across two days this year, with six separate races featuring two colleges at a time and the winner determined after all teams have been timed, according to Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman.

NEWS 3/23/21 10:29pm

Rice Program Council designs Rondelet to meet COVID-19 guidelines

By Megan Xiao

Due to COVID-19 regulations, the Rice Program Council will be holding Rondelet, an annual formal for Rice students, Friday March 27 at the West Quad on campus by Turrell Skyspace, instead of the typical large, off-campus venue like museums, according to the RPC socials committee.

NEWS 3/23/21 10:26pm

Willy’s Pub remains closed amidst Texas bar reopenings

By Isaiah Hwang

Willy’s Pub remains closed after Governor Greg Abbott’s issuance of an executive order increasing the capacity of all businesses and facilities in Texas to 100 percent and lifting the state mask mandate starting March 10.

NEWS 3/23/21 10:24pm

Union brings attention to alleged worker mistreatment at Ion construction site

By Hajera Naveed

The Rice Management Company’s current construction of the Ion in the Third Ward has continued to spark controversy within the community. During the past year of ongoing construction, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades has brought attention to the alleged mistreatment of workers from Milam & Co Painters, a company subcontracted by Rice for the Ion construction project.

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.

NEWS 3/16/21 10:24pm

Student-Run Businesses endorse “Down With Willy” Movement

By Hajera Naveed and Bonnie Zhao

Rice Student Run Businesses collectively announced their official endorsement for the removal of the Willy Statue on social media last Thursday. Rice Coffeehouse, The Hoot and Rice Bikes concurrently released a statement on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter outlining their reasons for supporting the movement.

NEWS 3/16/21 9:20pm

Wiess, Will Rice redo elections due to complications

By Ivanka Perez

Will Rice College and Wiess College both reheld elections for certain college positions after facing issues relating to their respective voting softwares, OwlNest and Qualtrics. By holding these elections again, the election outcomes were changed both for Wiess and Will Rice.

NEWS 3/16/21 9:18pm

Students react to RUPD officers seen wearing “Thin Blue Line” masks

By Rynd Morgan

In the past two weeks, students reported seeing Rice University Police Department officers wearing face masks depicting the “Thin Blue Line” symbol on campus, a symbol sometimes associated with the Blue Lives Matter movement and which some students associate with the movement. RUPD Chief Clemente Rodriguez said that he had not seen any officers wearing masks with the words “Blue Lives Matter” written on them, and none of the RUPD supervisors he spoke with saw any RUPD officers wearing masks with messages saying the words “Blue Lives Matter.” However, some officers have worn masks depicting the “Thin Blue Line” symbol, which Rodriguez said was meant to support fellow law enforcement officers.

NEWS 3/9/21 10:54pm

Rice will have in-person May commencement ceremonies, featuring journalist Nicholas Kristof

By Bonnie Zhao

Rice University administration announced on Friday evening that it will host in-person commencement ceremonies for both the class of 2021 and 2020 graduates on May 14 and 15, while families and guests will attend only virtually.

NEWS 3/9/21 9:28pm

Rice’s mask policy will remain unchanged following Gov. Abbott’s decision to lift state-imposed mask mandates

By Bonnie Zhao

Rice University will continue to require face masks on campus after Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to lift state-imposed mask mandates and allow businesses to operate at full capacity starting on March 10, according to an email sent by Kevin Kirby, vice president for administration.

NEWS 3/9/21 8:12pm

Rice researchers develop two new sensors to detect COVID-19

By Megan Xiao

Researchers at Rice University have been developing two new innovative tools to detect COVID-19: a real-time sensor that can detect small amounts of the virus in the air and a mobile phone reader with a chip that can detect the virus from a blood sample.

NEWS 3/9/21 7:57pm

Students, faculty discuss sprinkle days amidst unconventional semester

By Talha Arif

Two sprinkle days have occurred so far, with one occurring during the winter storm, and the final three will occur on March 16, March 26 and April 8. Students have generally responded well to the implementation of sprinkle days, but some say it is hard to take a break as intended with only one day off.

NEWS 3/8/21 1:49pm

Rice receives approval to receive and distribute vaccines on campus for eligible individuals

By Ivanka Perez

Rice has been officially approved to order, store and distribute vaccines on campus, according to Kevin Kirby, chair of the crisis management advisory committee. In an email to the Rice community today, Kirby also wrote that Rice community members who received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine on campus on Feb. 15 will likely receive the second dose on Mar. 22.

NEWS 3/8/21 11:59am

St. Luke’s Health and Rice partner together for new vaccine clinic at the Rice Stadium

By Rishab Ramapriyan

St. Luke’s Health announced on Monday that it has partnered with Rice University to open a new vaccination site at the Rice Stadium on March 15 to run till the end of July. The Rice Stadium clinic will be focussed on administering vaccines to the most vulnerable populations, such as healthcare workers, seniors, school teachers, child/adult care workers, and underserved communities.

News

Larry McMurtry, author and Rice alum, passes at age 84

Rice receives 4,000 doses of vaccine to distribute, Fall semester expected to be ‘largely normal’

Colleges change Willy Week name due to event restrictions, conversations about Willy’s Statue

Rice releases regular decision results, accepts record number of applicants

Rice announces twelfth residential college, student body expansion approved

Debate team wins national championship

Beer Bike races will follow revised format to ensure COVID-19 safety

Rice Program Council designs Rondelet to meet COVID-19 guidelines

Willy’s Pub remains closed amidst Texas bar reopenings

Union brings attention to alleged worker mistreatment at Ion construction site

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

Student-Run Businesses endorse “Down With Willy” Movement

Wiess, Will Rice redo elections due to complications

Students react to RUPD officers seen wearing “Thin Blue Line” masks

Rice will have in-person May commencement ceremonies, featuring journalist Nicholas Kristof

Rice’s mask policy will remain unchanged following Gov. Abbott’s decision to lift state-imposed mask mandates

Rice researchers develop two new sensors to detect COVID-19

Students, faculty discuss sprinkle days amidst unconventional semester

Rice receives approval to receive and distribute vaccines on campus for eligible individuals

St. Luke’s Health and Rice partner together for new vaccine clinic at the Rice Stadium

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