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NEWS 3/30/20 2:40pm

On-campus commencement postponed, online ceremony to occur

By Christina Tan

In light of ongoing COVID-19 concerns, an on campus commencement is postponed until further notice, according to an email sent by President David Leebron, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman and Interim Provost Seiichi Matsuda. There will be an online ceremony on May 16, according to Gorman, where graduates names will be read out loud. 

NEWS 3/27/20 5:02pm

Rice accepts 10 percent of applicants for the Class of 2024

By Dan Helmici

Rice University accepted 10 percent of applicants to the undergraduate class of 2024, a slight increase in acceptance rate from last year’s record-low 8.7 percent acceptance rate. Due to Rice’s cancellation of all on-campus admission events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, accepted students will be invited to virtual events in lieu of visiting campus during the traditional Owl Days and Admit Days.

NEWS 3/25/20 1:28pm

Any classes this semester can be taken pass/fail, Faculty Senate decides

By Christina Tan

Undergraduate students will be able to designate all courses this semester pass/fail after the Faculty Senate approved the motion for academic relief in Spring 2020 to address the academic disruption caused by COVID-19, by a unanimous vote (28 in favor, 4 absent).  The senate also passed two other motions: the first will move the deadline to input grades for graduating students to May 15 at 5 p.m. The second states that students will not be “unduly penalized academically” if any courses in progress cannot be offered for completion due to the university’s response to the pandemic.

NEWS 3/24/20 9:17pm

Wiatt wins external vice president race, with low voter turnout amid preoccupation with COVID-19

By Anna Ta

Isabel Wiatt won 64.5 percent of the vote over Kevin Guo in the race for Student Association external vice president, the only race in the second round elections, which take place in order to fill SA offices that had not garnered candidates in the first round of elections. The results drew the SA elections to a close with a low 16.5 percent voter turnout rate as students scrambled to adjust to college life in the midst of a pandemic. 

NEWS 3/20/20 2:04pm

Rice approved 77 percent of petitions to stay on campus, but some students disappointed with decisions

By Christina Tan

On-campus students had less than two weeks to pack up and leave campus for the semester after being notified on March 12 that the move-out deadline would be March 25. While many students left or stayed away from campus, some students took an option provided by the Dean of Undergraduates’ office: filing petitions to stay on campus. 77 percent of petitions were approved, according to Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman, including petitions from students who later decided to leave campus.

NEWS 3/18/20 11:32am

Students petition for a pass/fail semester due to COVID-19 disruption

By Savannah Kuchar

Yesterday, a petition created by Kendall Vining requested that administration give students the option to pass/fail their classes this semester, in light of all the recent changes on campus due to COVID-19. Vining, Student Association internal vice president, wrote and posted the petition, and at the time of publication it had 2,473 signatures and comments in support from students and parents.

NEWS 3/16/20 8:01pm

Answers to emerging questions about storage, move out

By Brian Lin

With the coronavirus looming over campus and the announcement that most undergraduate students must leave campus by March 25, some residential colleges have held town halls to discuss the critical questions students have concerning their premature departure and the remainder of the semester. Answers to more questions can be found here. 

NEWS 3/10/20 8:27pm

Faculty prepare for possible transition to remote instruction

By Amy Qin

Faculty and university staff have begun to prepare for the possibility of transitioning to remote classes following spring break, according to an email sent to faculty obtained by the Thresher. As part of an ongoing response to the possible spread of the COVID-19 virus on campus, Rice University canceled all classes and graded exams and assignments for the week of March 9. 

NEWS 3/10/20 8:25pm

NASA to launch student-created OwlSat satellite in 2022

By Brian Lin

The 2,200 satellites currently zipping through low-earth orbit at 17,500 miles per hour depend on sophisticated models to keep them from colliding, and data collected by Rice’s OwlSat satellite, set to launch some time in 2022, could make those models even better.  

NEWS 3/10/20 8:23pm

On-campus admissions events cancelled over coronavirus concerns

By Savannah Kuchar

With concerns about the potential spread of coronavirus on campus, the admissions office has taken precautions to limit the interaction with people outside the Rice community on campus. On-campus tours, lunch hosting and events for prospective students including Owl Days and Admit Days have been canceled through April 30.

NEWS 3/10/20 8:18pm

Faculty Senate to decide on recommended pass/fail alterations

By Talha Arif

The Faculty Senate working group investigating the pass/fail system at Rice published their final report last week for the Faculty Senate to deliberate over. The recommendations have generated significant backlash from students, evidenced by the Student Association Senate gathering survey feedback, with over 600 responses, alongside the development of a resolution of opposition to the proposed changes. 

NEWS 3/10/20 8:17pm

Rice suspends classes after positive COVID-19 case

By Rishab Ramapriyan and Rachel Carlton

Rice Crisis Management canceled all classes for the week of March 9, along with all on-campus public events with more than 100 attendees through April 30, according to an alert sent on Sunday afternoon. The cancellation follows the confirmation of a Rice employee testing positive for the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, which was reported last Thursday. 

NEWS 3/10/20 8:12pm

Beer Bike, major events canceled for semester

By Christina Tan

For the first time in its 64-year history, Beer Bike is canceled with no current plans to reschedule. As part of their response to the emerging crisis of COVID-19, Rice has prohibited all on-campus public events with more than 100 people,

NEWS 3/10/20 8:06pm

Student-run businesses close in wake of COVID-19

By Rynd Morgan

All student-run businesses, including Rice Coffeehouse, Rice Bikes and The Hoot in addition to student-owned East-West Tea, will be closed from now until the end of spring break, according to the businesses’ respective Facebook pages. The closures come in the wake of the cancellation of all classes for the week of March 9.

NEWS 3/4/20 12:18am

Rice employees donate mostly to Democratic candidates

By Serene Lee

Rice faculty and administrators have donated $791,014 to various political campaigns and organizations since the 2012 election cycle, with the majority of donations going to Democratic candidates, according to a review of the Federal Election Commission Records. 

NEWS 3/4/20 12:10am

Panel discusses xenophobia sparked by coronavirus

By Christina Tan

 After six Rice Alert emails about the novel coronavirus COVID-19 and rising fear about the spread of the disease, student clubs on campus organized to address another aspect of COVID-19: xenophobia toward Asians and Asian Americans. Last Thursday, faculty members and students gathered to listen to panelists speak about the topic and offer potential solutions.  

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