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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.  

NEWS 3/3/20 11:38pm

Student Association calls for student accommodations amid coronavirus alerts

By Anna Ta

The Student Association introduced a new resolution recommending that Rice implement student accommodation policies in the case of an outbreak of COVID-19 cases, colloquially known as coronavirus, at Monday’s SA Senate meeting. Resolution #15 also calls for Rice to “strengthen its public health efforts in response to the concerns surrounding coronavirus.”

NEWS 2/28/20 10:08am

Vining and McClendon win contested SA elections, Clyburn confirmed as SA president

By Christina Tan

Anna Margaret Clyburn will serve as the next Student Association president after running uncontested, the first time in seven years that the race has been uncontested. With 1,082 ballots cast, which represents 27.2 percent of the student body, the elections saw significantly lower voter participation than previous years (42 percent last year and over 50 percent the year before). 

NEWS 2/25/20 11:50pm

College elections plagued by errors and violations

By Kavya Sahni

Spring elections at the residential colleges came with a myriad of problems this year, following the implementation of OwlNest voting at some colleges. Tabulation errors of ranked-choice voting by OwlNest have pushed Will Rice College’s secretary race to the its college’s court. Although Jones College continued with Qualtrics, similar problems have led to a re-election for the positions of internal vice president and treasurer.

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