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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.

NEWS 8/23/22 11:47pm

Critical Thinking in Sexuality curriculum changes

By Keegan Leibrock

Changes will be made to the Rice Critical Thinking in Sexuality curriculum, a violence-prevention program with discussions on sexual consent and communications, beginning this semester, which includes an optional sixth session and several changes to the course’s original curriculum. 

NEWS 8/23/22 11:44pm

Rice welcomes 1,210 new students with 8.7% acceptance rate

By Maria Morkas

Out of 31,442 applicants, only 8.7% of students were admitted, with a yield of 44%, for a matriculating class of 1,210 students as a part of the Class of 2026 this year, according to Vice President for Enrollment Yvonne Romero da Silva. Amid plans of expanding the student body, this serves as a lower admittance rate, in comparison to 9% for the Class of 2025.

NEWS 8/23/22 11:39pm

DesRoches builds Rice’s senior leadership team

By Viola Hsia

The 2022-2023 school year brings with it not only a new president for Rice University, but also new leadership in other administrative positions. So far this year, the university has introduced five new members of administration: Omar Syed as vice president and general counsel, Paul Cherukuri as vice president of innovation, Ramamoorthy Ramesh as vice president of research, Kelly Fox as vice president of finance and administration and Paul Padley as vice president of information technology and chief information officer. Rice also named Amy Dittmar as the new provost.

NEWS 6/16/22 6:36pm

Michigan professor Amy Dittmar named Rice’s next provost

By Prayag Gordy

Amy Dittmar, the senior vice provost for academic and budgetary affairs and a professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan, has been selected as Rice’s new provost, incoming president Reginald DesRoches announced Thursday. DesRoches, the current provost, will become Rice’s president on July 1, and Dittmar will start August 1.

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