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NEWS 9/21/22 12:29am

Six computers, two iPads stolen from north campus

By Keegan Leibrock

Rice University experienced a series of thefts this past week. Six laptops and two iPads were stolen from a Duncan College suite and Duncan Hall respectively, according to the Rice University Police Department in a campus-wide email sent out last Wednesday morning.

NEWS 9/21/22 12:27am

Inflation nation: Campus grapples with rising costs

By Renly Liu

As prices for various goods and services continue to rise nationally, student-run businesses and Rice departments such as Housing & Dining and Facilities Engineering & Planning are among those on campus implementing changes to handle this inflationary spike, while also working to keep prices reasonable for students. 

NEWS 9/21/22 12:25am

Engineering professor Marc Robert remembered

By Hajera Naveed

Marc Robert, a professor in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering, died Sept. 2 from COVID-19 complications at the age of 72. Robert, a physicist, became a professor at Rice in 1984 after receiving his doctorate in physics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he was born and raised. 

NEWS 9/13/22 11:22pm

U.S. News ranks Rice at No. 15

By Hajera Naveed

Rice University ranks No. 15 in the Best National University category by U.S. News and World Report’s 2022-2023 ranking released this week, up from No. 17 in 2021. Rice also ranked No. 3 in Best Undergraduate Teaching and No. 6 in Best Value Schools. 

NEWS 9/13/22 11:21pm

Student Association’s Initiative Fund opens with $40,000

By Renly Liu

This year, Rice Student Association’s initiative fund will have a budget of $40,000, a significant increase from the typical $20,000 budget of the past few years. SA Treasurer Solomon Ni said that the increase comes from unused blanket tax funds from the previous pandemic years. 

NEWS 9/13/22 11:20pm

Pakistan floods inspire student efforts

By Nishanka Kuthuru

Rice University’s Pakistani Student Association, Muslim Student Association and South Asian Society collaborated to raise money for Pakistanis affected by disastrous flooding. Flood waters now cover roughly one third of the entire country, according to The New York Times.

NEWS 9/13/22 11:16pm

Ion, Methodist announce partnership

By Viola Hsia

Last month, the Ion announced its first health care-centric partnership with Houston Methodist, with the goal of developing new technologies for digital health. The Ion is the flagship building of Rice’s Innovation District in Houston’s Third Ward.

NEWS 9/6/22 11:29pm

Students discuss adjusting to new dining policies

By Morgan Gage

Starting this semester, Rice Housing and Dining implemented significant changes to their dining policies, including an additional meal period, additional 25 meal swipes for the full meal plan and a required additional swipe for any entree plates after the first entry, without any changes to the price of the meal plan beyond what was previously budgeted for the 2022-2023 academic year. These changes were cited as being in response to the Student Association Resolution to Structurally Address Disordered Eating Patterns in the Rice Community. However, differing opinions exist about whether the changes address the concerns that prompted them.

NEWS 9/6/22 11:24pm

Bike thefts continue to plague campus, but remain below 2019 levels

By Lin Lu

Rice University has seen a rising amount of bike theft on campus since the start of this year, according to Clemente Rodriguez, the chief of police and director of public safety. Rodriguez said 36 bike thefts were reported so far this year, the highest number since 44 were reported in 2019.

NEWS 8/30/22 11:26pm

DesRoches creates working group on reproductive health

By Ben Baker-Katz

In an email sent to the Rice community on Tuesday morning, President Reginald DesRoches announced the creation of a working group focused on reproductive health within the Rice community. DesRoches said that because of the evolving nature of legal questions surrounding abortion access and other reproductive services, the group will operate for the foreseeable future.

NEWS 8/30/22 11:24pm

Rice, NASA extend Space Act Agreement, prepare for 60th-anniversary

By Keegan Leibrock

This past week, Rice and NASA extended the Space Act Agreement in a continued effort to promote relations between the university and the space administration. The SAA, which was initially established in 2012, marks a continued collaboration to provide joint research opportunities, general STEM engagement and other educational opportunities to undergraduate students and faculty.  

NEWS 8/30/22 11:20pm

Jamey Rootes, sports management faculty, passes at 56

By Maria Morkas

Jamey Rootes, recently appointed director of the Hutchinson Leadership Initiative in sports analytics in the department of sports management, died in Houston on Aug. 21 at the age of 56. His wife, Melissa Rootes, shared the news on Monday, saying he had been battling mental health issues.

NEWS 8/23/22 11:50pm

Rice introduces Analyzing Diversity requirement

By Maria Morkas

Starting this fall, all matriculating students must take a class of at least three credit hours that meets the new Analyzing Diversity requirement. According to the General Announcements, these courses will primarily consist of three areas: social and cultural analysis, system inequities and their redress, and equity, knowledge and the university. These courses are meant to focus on how difference is understood across societies, how understandings have changed through time and their specific consequences on human development.

NEWS 8/23/22 11:48pm

Rice-Baylor Program ends after 34 years

By Hajera Naveed

Rice admitted its last class of Rice-Baylor College of Medicine Medical Scholars this year, and it has since elected to terminate the program citing differences in opinion on how the program should evolve, according to Vice President of Enrollment Yvonne Romero da Silva. In the past two years, Baylor College of Medicine had also limited the number of students admitted from six to three students.

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