News

NEWS 2/15/23 12:35am

Campus munches on meal plan changes one semester later

By Viola Hsia

Last semester, Rice made changes to Meal Plan A that included the introduction of “Munch,” an additional meal period between 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on weekdays and an adjustment in how meal swipes are recorded. According to David McDonald, director of Housing & Dining, these changes resulted in an increase to the amount of meals being served per day, something McDonald expects to continue in future semesters.

NEWS 2/2/23 9:24pm

Will the real Yo-Yo’s Hot Dog please stand up?: H&D brings True Dog Houston to campus after all

By Ben Baker-Katz , Morgan Gage and Prayag Gordy

Housing & Dining announced on Jan. 31 that they had reached an agreement with “YOYO” to operate on campus. But the next day, H&D sent the Rice community a follow-up email with a flyer for the vendor they had actually secured: True Dog Houston, operated by Damion Loera, a former partner of YoYo’s Hot Dog who has since opened his own business selling similar hot dogs.

NEWS 1/31/23 11:26pm

YoYo’s to operate in parking loop by Mudd Lab

By Ben Baker-Katz and Morgan Gage

Beginning this Friday, YoYo’s Hot Dog will operate from the parking area between Mudd Lab and Hamman Hall, according to an email, obtained by the Thresher, from Director of Housing & Dining David McDonald.

NEWS 1/31/23 11:25pm

Fifth datathon held at Rice

By Meghan Paral

The Rice Datathon, run by the Rice DataSci Club and the Rice D2K Lab, returned for its fifth year this past weekend, hosting approximately 470 participants from across the country and attaining a significantly higher in-person attendance than previous years, according to Apple Li, co-director of this year’s event.

NEWS 1/31/23 11:24pm

Jamie Padgett receives O’Donnell Award for infrastructure research

By Riya Misra

Jamie Padgett, Stanley C. Moore Professor in Engineering, recently received the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award, an accolade given out annually by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas to notable researchers in the state.

NEWS 1/31/23 11:22pm

All is fair in love and code: COMP 310 faces potential removal

By Bonnie Zhao

COMP 310, a current major requirement course, is likely to be completely removed from the Rice computer Science curriculum, the class’s professor Stephen Wong said. This comes after numerous student complaints posted on Piazza last semester and raised to the computer science department Chair Christopher Jermaine.

NEWS 1/31/23 11:22pm

REMS hosts blood drive in honor of H&D staff member’s son

By Maria Morkas

Rice Emergency Medical Services hosted an on-campus blood drive on Jan. 30 and 31 to honor Housing and Dining staff member Noel Romero’s son, Leonel Romero, who was diagnosed with leukemia in Aug. 2022.

NEWS 1/31/23 11:20pm

RUPD launches license plate readers at campus entrances

By Keegan Leibrock

The Rice University Police Department recently began piloting a system of Automated License Plate Readers throughout campus. The ALPR cameras, which scan license plate numbers and vehicle details, will be used by RUPD to provide investigative data when a crime occurs on campus.

NEWS 1/24/23 10:38pm

TABC opens new 60-day investigation of Pub

By Brandon Chen and Maria Morkas

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission opened another 60-day investigation into The Pub at Rice during the first week of classes. This comes after previous TABC investigations in 2019 and 2022.

NEWS 1/24/23 10:37pm

Student resolution calls for Rice Management Company to reverse lease termination of YoYo’s, Gogi

By Maria Morkas

A student resolution calling for the Rice Management Company to reverse the lease terminations of YoYo’s Hotdog and Oh My Gogi in Rice Village passed unanimously at the Jan. 23 Student Association senate meeting.

NEWS 1/24/23 10:35pm

Rice students celebrate Lunar New Year

By Keegan Leibrock

The Rice Chinese Student Association will host its annual Lunar New Year Gala in person for the first time since 2020 this Saturday, Jan. 28. The Gala, hosted jointly by the RCSA and the Vietnamese Student Association, will feature traditional dances, music, creative writing, food and fashion, according to the RCSA Instagram.

NEWS 1/24/23 10:35pm

Jones School of Business to launch hybrid MBA program

By Spring Chenjp

Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business will welcome its first cohort of students in the new hybrid Master of Business Administration program, the first one in Texas, this summer.

NEWS 1/18/23 12:27am

Hanszenites talk new wing, ongoing improvements

By Spring Chenjp

Students began moving into the new wing of Hanszen College on Jan. 5 after supply chain shortages delayed the wing’s completion to late December from early August, as originally anticipated.

NEWS 1/18/23 12:26am

Campus BCycle stations suspended indefinitely

By Nayeli Shad

All Rice University rentable bike share stations, except for the Biosciences Research Collaborative station, have been temporarily suspended as of December 2022 without a designated return date. The closures are part of a city-wide suspension of 75 of the 153 Houston BCycle stations.

NEWS 1/18/23 12:25am

Payment system revamped at Rice Coffeehouse, eliminates processing issues

By Tanya Richards

Rice Coffeehouse instituted a new payment system, Revel, on Jan. 11. The move was prompted by frequent credit-card processing problems that the business experienced in previous semesters, Caitlin Lindsay, the associate director of facilities, events and student run businesses, said.

NEWS 1/18/23 12:24am

Rice announces changes to May Commencement Ceremonies

By Marie Valera

Graduation ceremonies will now become one event for each graduating group, removing the all-student commencement ceremony generally on the second morning of graduation weekend, according to President Reginald DesRoches from a campus-wide email sent on Jan. 10.

NEWS 1/18/23 12:23am

Kamryn Sanamo, Martel senior, passes after battle with brain cancer

By Hajera Naveed and Maria Morkas

Kamryn Sanamo, a Martel College senior, died on Jan. 5 at the age of 21 after a battle with brain cancer. She was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor on July 9, 2021.

NEWS 1/15/23 6:01pm

Temporary power outage impacts campus, smoke forces evacuation at McMurtry

By Hajera Naveed and Prayag Gordy

Power outages affected nearly all of the Rice campus on Saturday afternoon, with reports of outages starting around 3:30 p.m. According to Jeff Falk, interim vice president for public affairs, electricians are working to restore power and the Crisis Management team has been activated. At the time of publication, power has returned to parts of campus.

NEWS 1/13/23 10:14am

RMC terminates leases for YoYo’s, Oh My Gogi

By Brandon Chen

On Dec. 27, 2022, Rice Management Company notified YoYo’s Hot Dog and Oh My Gogi their leases to operate in Rice Village will be terminated effective Jan. 31, 2023, according to an email obtained by the Thresher.

NEWS 1/10/23 10:17pm

Rice adds 486 students to the Class of 2027 through ED