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NEWS 5/11/23 11:51am

‘Israel at 75’ conference hosts former prime ministers, incites protest

By Nayeli Shad

The “Israel at 75” conference hosted by the Baker Institute on April 27 explored the 75 years since Israel’s founding, including the relationship between Israel and the U.S. and the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The speakers included former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Salam Fayyad, former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak and multiple current and former U.S. State Department officials.

NEWS 4/18/23 10:32pm

Four Rice undergraduates awarded Goldwater scholarship

By Viola Hsia

Rice undergraduates Maria Hancu, Alex Lin, Ruofeng Liu and Ryan Wang were recipients of the Goldwater scholarship this year. The Goldwater scholarship, founded on Nov. 14, 1986 in honor of former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, is awarded to undergraduates pursuing careers in engineering, math and science. Liu did not respond to requests for an interview.

NEWS 4/18/23 10:30pm

Rice student struck by car on inner loop, taken to trauma center

By Ben Baker-Katz

A Rice student was struck by a moving car as they attempted to cross the inner loop near Baker College at around 1:15 a.m on Saturday, April 15. The student was transported to a trauma center in the Texas Medical Center, and their condition is currently unknown. Out of respect for the student and their family, the Thresher is not releasing their name at this time. 

NEWS 4/18/23 10:29pm

CIA Director Bill Burns visits Baker Institute

By Maria Morkas

The Baker Institute hosted US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns to discuss his career in government, pressing foreign policy issues and the importance of public service as a part of the Shell Distinguished Lecture series on April 11. Following a lecture-style presentation, Baker Institute Director David Satterfield presented a few questions.

NEWS 4/18/23 10:18pm

Baker Institute’s ‘Israel at 75’ conference sparks controversy

By Hajera Naveed

The Baker Institute for Public Policy will host an ‘Israel at 75’ conference on April 27, featuring diplomats, subject-matter experts and stakeholders to analyze the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, among other topics. In response, the Rice Students for Justice Palestine group began a petition calling for cancellation of the event. 

NEWS 4/18/23 10:16pm

Honor Council limits use of ChatGPT

By Spring Chenjp

The Honor Council sent an email to all undergraduates on April 11, announcing an Honor Code amendment explicitly prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence software such as ChatGPT without proper citation. Additionally, the email clarified professors’ right to ban the use of AI software for their classes.

NEWS 4/12/23 12:15am

Bacchanalia returns after four years

By Maria Valera

Brown College hosted its first Bacchanalia public since the spring of 2019 last Saturday, and the first for all students who have matriculated since 2019. Bacchanalia was first canceled in April 2020, and again in 2021, due to COVID-19. Bacchanalia was set to have its comeback in 2022, but was canceled due to a rise in COVID-19 cases after Beer Bike. 

NEWS 4/4/23 11:46pm

Beer Bike 2023 welcomes more races, a new record

By Viola Hsia

The 2023 Beer Bike races took place Saturday, with all three races — alumni, women’s and men’s — divided up into two heats. The times from both heats will be compared by the RPC to determine the final results after penalties for each team are calculated. According to campus-wide Beer Bike coordinator Anne Wang, results are expected to be released later in the week, likely on Friday.

NEWS 4/4/23 11:44pm

REMS receives $180,000 grant

By Amy Son

Rice Emergency Medical Services received a $180,000 grant this March from the Pennington First Aid Squad, an organization in Pennington, New Jersey.

NEWS 4/4/23 11:42pm

REMS hosts blood drive in honor of Kamryn Sanamo

By Meghan Paral

Rice Emergency Medical Services will host a blood drive on April 7 in memory of Kamryn Sanamo, a Martel College senior who passed away in January after battling brain cancer. The drive, open to members of the Rice community, will take place from noon to 6 pm in Lot 6.

NEWS 4/4/23 11:42pm

Computer Science debuts redesigned curriculum

By Bonnie Zhao

The computer science department held a town hall announcing the redesigned COMP curriculum to students on Tuesday, March 21. The new curriculum includes many changes to the major requirements for both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, according to a document shared with COMP majors.

NEWS 3/28/23 10:04pm

Rice hits record low 7.7% acceptance rate for ‘27

By Riya Misra

Rice’s Office of Admissions admitted 2,399 students out of a total 31,049 applicants, on March 27. With a 7.7% admit rate, this year has seen a new record-low for acceptances, surpassing last year’s previous record-low of 8.56% for the Class of 2026.

NEWS 3/28/23 10:02pm

Neuroscience B.S. to debut in the fall

By Hajera Naveed

The neuroscience Bachelors of Science was approved by Faculty Senate at the March 9 meeting and will be incorporated into the General Announcements for the following academic year. The major includes two tracks: molecular and cellular neuroscience and computational neuroscience. 

NEWS 3/28/23 10:01pm

Undergrad tuition to increase 5.7% next academic year

By Spring Chenjp

Rice’s undergraduate tuition for the 2023-24 academic year will be $57,210, a 5.7% increase from the previous year. This brings the total cost of attendance up to $74,028, marking the fourth consecutive year of tuition increases and highest percentage increase in recent years. The most recent comparable tuition hike was an increase of 5.4% for the 2010-11 academic year, which came in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

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