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NEWS 11/7/23 10:40pm

Tapia talks affirmative action and program failure

By Maria Morkas

University professor Richard Tapia hosted the “Responding to the Fall and Failure of Affirmative Action” presentation Oct. 31. He spoke about a lack of academic support received by underrepresented minority students at Rice in the engineering department after matriculation and suggested potential solutions based on his experiences. 

NEWS 11/7/23 10:39pm

Mark Ditman awarded inaugural Y. Ping Sun Award

By Prasi Desai

Mark Ditman was the first recipient of the Y. Ping Sun Award for Outstanding Community Engagement after almost 29 years of employment with Rice as the former associate vice president for Housing and Dining. During Ditman’s tenure, he secured a $100,000 grant for mass timber projects at Rice, including the construction of the New Hanszen College Wing, the first mass timber residential building in Texas. Ditman, who retired June 30, was also instrumental in promoting solar energy on campus and developing the college serveries.

NEWS 11/5/23 11:07am

Academic Quad closed Nov. 6, redesign to be completed April 2024

By Nayeli Shad

The Academic Quad will be closed starting Nov. 6 to begin construction of the redesign, according to a campus-wide email from Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Kelly Fox. The closure and construction are expected to continue through late April 2024. All entrances into the quad will be closed to pedestrians. Access to buildings that surround the quad will remain open through their covered walkways. A temporary walkway will be added to allow ADA access to Anderson Hall while construction of Cannady Hall continues, according to Bryan Miller, facilities and exhibition coordinator for Rice Architecture.

NEWS 11/1/23 1:24am

Clinton and Baker discuss foreign policy at Baker Institute gala

By Riya Misra

Former U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and James Baker came to Rice Oct. 26 for the Baker Institute for Public Policy’s “Raising a Meaningful Voice” 30th anniversary gala. Henry Kissinger was slated to be the third guest of honor, but canceled due to an injury. He gave a short virtual address instead.

NEWS 11/1/23 12:35am

Old Sid demolition delayed due to bee colony and weather

By Hope Yang

The demolition of the old Sid Richardson College building was not completed in October as originally planned due to weather conditions, bees in the demolition site and other complications, according to Faith Neyra, a communications specialist in the office of finance and administration.

NEWS 11/1/23 12:33am

Students talk financial aid challenges

By Marie Valera

Rice has joined over 360 colleges in the United States in making a commitment to financial aid transparency, according to a news release from the Office of Public Affairs. The announcement says Rice reaffirms its commitment to remaining a loan-free institution. 

NEWS 11/1/23 12:29am

BISF hosts panel on long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict

By Belinda Zhu

The Baker Institute Student Forum hosted a panel titled “​​Addressing the Israel-Gaza Crisis: Humanitarian Efforts and Political Economy of Gulf States” on Oct. 25 to discuss the current war and long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its relation to other Arab states.

NEWS 10/27/23 2:08pm

Students walk out of class, fundraise for Palestine

By Spring Chenjp

Students walked out of class to chant and make posters in support of Palestine as part of an event organized by Rice Students for Justice in Palestine in Brown Garden at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 25. The walkout came as the Israel-Hamas war continued into its third week. The Rice Muslim Student Association also held a fundraiser that day, where all proceeds were to be donated to the non-profit organization Islamic Relief, according to MSA’s Instagram post.

NEWS 10/24/23 11:13pm

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at Baker Institute

By Riya Misra

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken came to Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy to lead a discussion on foreign policy and global affairs Oct. 3. The discussion was moderated by Baker Institute Director David Satterfield — who was recently appointed the U.S. special envoy for Middle Eastern humanitarian issues — in the Shepherd School of Music’s Stude Hall. Admission was free and open to the Rice community.

NEWS 10/24/23 11:00pm

Texas politics pose challenge to hiring faculty, DesRoches says

By Belinda Zhu

Rice is missing opportunities to hire potential faculty members due to concerns surrounding Texas’s political climate, according to an interview with President Reggie DesRoches published in Bloomberg. DesRoches said Rice is seeking to hire 200 new faculty members, but many professors from the East or West coasts are reluctant to consider moving to Houston.

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