News

NEWS 2/12/20 8:54pm

Possible drop outs and violations plague the only contested 2020 races

By Savannah Kuchar

Two days after the elections ballot was approved by the Student Association, multiple concerns have arisen, including possible constitutional violations and Kevin Guo potentially dropping out from the only contested Student Association race — the race between John Cook and Guo for the treasurer’s role.

NEWS 2/12/20 6:56pm

2020 Blanket Tax Organization Candidates

By Savannah Kuchar and Rynd Morgan

The Thresher reached out to candidates running for election in all blanket tax organizations: Student Association, Rice Rally Club, Rice Program Council, the Rice Thresher, Rice Campanile, Honor Council, Rice Student Volunteering Program and KTRU Radio. Candidates marked with an * did not respond to requests for comment, and their statement is copied from the SA’s website. Currently, the only contested roles are: SA Treasurer, Honor Council Sophomore Representative and Rice Program Council President.

NEWS 2/5/20 12:21am

Pub reopens with new security measures

By Brian Lin

To prepare for its reopening this past Monday, Willy’s Pub implemented a camera and ID scanner system at the bar’s entrance. Pub was closed for the first few weeks of the semester following Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission violations in December at the “Last Pub of the Decade” event, according to Frank Rodriguez, board president of Valhalla & Willy’s Permits, which oversees the licenses of Pub and Valhalla.

NEWS 2/5/20 12:18am

Rice halts China travel due to coronavirus concerns

By Rachel Carlton

Due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus, Rice Crisis Management suspended all university-sponsored travel to China by faculty, students and staff on Jan. 29, according to a universitywide email. The email also stated that there were no confirmed cases at Rice or in Texas at the time.

NEWS 2/5/20 12:17am

Rice hires Harris County Emergency Corp for weekend ambulance services

By Christine Zhao

Following concerns that the university was putting a strain on Houston’s resources, beginning this spring semester, the Harris County Emergency Corp will be hired for a trial period as the campus’s ambulance service from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. every Friday and Saturday night.

NEWS 2/5/20 12:15am

Ion Community Benefits Agreement shifts to City of Houston

By Rynd Morgan

The ongoing fight for a community benefits agreement between Houston community members and Rice Management Company for the Innovation District project continued on Monday, with a Student Association proposal to change language in their resolution supporting the CBA — the proposal was tabled after heated discussion.

NEWS 2/5/20 12:14am

Rice Women’s Resource Center begins offering free pregnancy tests

By Hajera Naveed

The Rice Women’s Resource Center began offering free pregnancy tests last week to all students. These tests are located in the center in the Rice Memorial Center, alongside other previously-offered resources like condoms, tampons and pads.

NEWS 2/5/20 12:13am

Y2K keeps students waiting despite wristband system

By Rishab Ramapriyan

Students expressed frustration over hour-long wait times for McMurtry College’s annual Y2K-themed public party, held on Feb. 1. Following unsafe line conditions that led to a student being hospitalized and Rice University Police Department shutting down the party last year, the organizers implemented a new wristband system for Saturday’s public. Some students, however, still reported wait times exceeding two hours, deterring them from staying in line to enter the public.

NEWS 1/30/20 8:38am

International Holocaust Remembrance Day event features panel discussion and play

By Kavya Sahni

The Holocaust Museum Houston hosted a panel discussion and play commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest concentration and extermination camp operated by the Nazis during World War II. Rice University’s Program in Jewish Studies, Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance and Baker Institute for Public Policy were among the several sponsors for the event, which was also held in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2020 on Monday, Jan. 27.

NEWS 1/29/20 12:58am

Wickerson's campaign promises remain unfulfilled

By Amy Qin and Rishab Ramapriyan

When Grace Wickerson ran for Student Association President in February 2019, they campaigned on a platform of multiple goals falling under the categories of education, student wellbeing, access and inclusion, sustainability and championing student ideas. Based on our analysis, Wickerson has only attempted one-third of their campaign promises.

NEWS 1/28/20 11:11pm

'Modern-day Genocide': Houston Uighur Society speaks on detained Uighurs in China

By Serene Lee

Members of Houston Uighur Society spoke at Rice last Thursday on the recent events regarding the Uighur population in China. In their talk, the members presented on the internment of the Uighurs in Chinese ‘re-education’ camps that are being implemented allegedly to erase Uighur religious and cultural identity.

NEWS 1/28/20 11:09pm

Housing & Dining launches composting initiative at North Servery, attempts to reach 40 percent recycling goal

By Kelly Liao

In an attempt to increase campuswide sustainability, Housing & Dining has adopted a new composting initiative that includes a composting trial at the North Colleges Servery. Over the past two years, Rice has made multiple updates to the recycling system in order to try to meet a 40 percent recycling rate goal by 2020, according to Richard Johnson, director of the Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management at Rice.

NEWS 1/28/20 11:06pm

Toxic Tour brings students to polluted sites

By Brian Lin

On a "Toxic Tour" of Houston, led by the Houston Air Alliance, 15 students visited gas-flares, a polluted section of the Buffalo Bayou and a neighborhood encircled by refineries. The event was hosted by the Green Dorm Initiative and wound through the Second Ward, crossed Galena Park, touched the Buffalo Bayou, circled back toward the Fifth Ward and ended at Manchester.

NEWS 1/28/20 10:05pm

Rice Management Company defends Ion

By Rynd Morgan

Allison Thacker (Baker ‘96) and Ryan LeVasseur (Wiess ‘01, School of Architecture ‘03) from Rice Management Company gave a presentation to dissuade Student Association members from supporting Senate Resolution #8, a resolution advising that Rice and the Board of Trustees enter into a Community Benefits Agreement with the Houston Coalition for Equitable Development without Displacement at the Student Association Senate Meeting on Jan. 27.

NEWS 1/28/20 10:01pm

Wickerson to appoint interim parliamentarian

By Sammi Johnson

After the resignation of both the Student Association Parliamentarian Freddy Cavallaro and Deputy Parliamentarian Emma Donnelly and with elections around the corner, SA president Grace Wickerson has yet to appoint an interim parliamentarian for the remaining few weeks of the term.

NEWS 1/28/20 10:01pm

Rice launches free Coursera courses for Rice students

By Hajera Naveed

At the beginning of this semester, Rice launched Coursera for Rice which provides students, faculty and staff with full access to all Rice courses on Coursera for free. This effort is part of the Coursera for Campus program, which provides campus-specific courses taught by professors affiliated with the school.

NEWS 1/22/20 12:10am

Food insecurity initiative allows students to donate guest swipes

By Kavya Sahni

A new initiative to address food insecurity at Rice allows students to donate their unused guest meal swipes, which will then be allocated to students living off-campus who cannot afford meal plans, according to Student Association President Grace Wickerson.

NEWS 1/22/20 12:09am

O-Week PAAs will no longer be affiliated with O-Week groups

By Serene Lee

Beginning the fall of 2020, Orientation Week Peer Academic Advisors will no longer also serve as O-Week advisors. The Office of Academic Advising instituted this change to lower the mental and physical strain for students chosen for those positions, according to Aliya Bhimani.

NEWS 1/21/20 11:59pm

First week of school: Campus has no cool

By Talha Arif

Due to ongoing construction at the Central Plant, the campus has experienced disruptions in air cooling at both residential and academic buildings over the past week, exacerbated by a heat wave that culminated in a record-high 83 degrees on Wednesday.

NEWS 1/21/20 11:55pm

Owl House Properties draws controversy over new building

By Ivanka Perez and Brian Lin

Owl House Properties, a local property management company, plans to combine, or replat, lots 1933 and 1937 Dryden Road, in May 2020 into a one-lot, a four-story apartment complex, according to company president Ben Bahorich (Will Rice ’10), drawing backlash from some Southgate residents.