Special Projects

Review: 'READY TO BE' captures TWICE's upbeat energy

 On “READY TO BE,” TWICE returns with a record-breaking set of infectious and danceable tracks sure to delight their fans. TWICE is one of the K-pop groups that has had substantial crossover success in the United States, selling out arenas across the country last year. TWICE features nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, all of whom shine throughout the album’s bouncy and energetic production.

Muslim students and H&D prepare for Ramadan

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins this week, falling between March 22 to April 20 this year, overlapping with events such as Beer Bike and the end of the semester. Observers fast from dawn until dusk, which is approximately 13 hours in Houston, to practice spiritual devotedness.

Beer Bike to divide races amid safety concerns

Beer Bike races will be held in two heats this year, instead of the traditional singular race, according to Anne Wang, a campus-wide Beer Bike coordinator. The change is in light of last year’s crash during the women’s race, which injured three bikers and sent one to the hospital.

Administration affirms commitment to diversity

President Reginald DesRoches announced Rice’s commitment to diversity ahead of anticipated Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action cases in a campus-wide email sent on March 3, cosigned by Provost Amy Dittmar and Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alexander Byrd. 

Proposed Quad redesign decenters controversial history

The architect firm Nelson Byrd Woltz unveiled their proposed plans for the Academic Quadrangle redesign to the public on March 9. The changes included relocating Willy’s statue to the corner of Lovett Hall and the Welcome Center, adding community gathering spaces by Fondren Library and paving a curved, tree-lined path stretching diagonally from Rayzor Hall to Herzstein Hall. 

'The previous year kind of sucked’: Ni debuts at first senate

The first Student Association senate was held for the 2024 fiscal year after leadership changeover occurred prior to spring break. SA President Solomon Ni led the meeting, highlighting some changes he wanted to see in the organization moving forward.

03-22-2023 Crossword Solutions

03-22-2023 Crossword: "What's Up?"

Do it yourself: Students talk designing area majors

Any prospective student flipping through Rice’s major offerings would miss Computer Science and the Arts — probably because it’s not listed. This specific program is an area major, a type of unique student-designed major made by students looking to forge their own curriculum. Bria Weisz said she created the Computer Science and the Arts major upon finding out that the curricula lacked adequate flexibility for her intended double majors, computer science and visual and dramatic arts.

Sniffles season: A Pisces moon’s guide to crying on campus

Even the happiest students in the country need to cry sometimes. If crying in your room is starting to feel overdone, fear not: as your resident Pisces moon and experienced campus crier, I’ve compiled a list of on-campus alternatives where you can let those tears flow.

Agnes Ho talks wellbeing, social work and sushi

Agnes Ho has two loves: sushi restaurants and genuine connections. The latter is one that she’s spent the past decade cultivating at Rice as director of the Wellbeing and Counseling Center. Her experiences as a first-generation, international student have enabled her to tackle mental health issues for a wide variety of adolescents at Rice and in the Houston community as a whole. 

Senior Spotlight: Grace Walters spells her way through Rice and beyond

In 2019, the Scripps National Spelling Bee saw an unprecedented eight-way tie after the competition ran out of words. The person partially responsible for three of those eight wins was spelling bee coach Grace Walter. Walters, a Jones College senior, has coached two other spelling bee champions, including last year’s winner, Harini Logan. 

Emily Houlik-Ritchey explores medieval language and literature

Wacky, crazy and terrifying. These words might evoke pictures of daredevils or precarious adventures but for Emily Houlik-Ritchey, an associate English professor at Rice, they point to something entirely different: medieval literature.

ASB groups ditch the beach, connect with community

According to just about every college stereotype ever, spring break is associated with partying and hanging out on the beach. However, some Rice students spent their recent breaks a little differently. Some wrote policy briefs on mental health in migrant communities. Others volunteered at clinics for Vietnamese refugees or visited local arts organizations. These students all have one thing in common: they were a part of Rice’s Alternative Spring Break Program,  which aims to work with community partners on a range of social issues.

Review: ‘Creed 3’ is the best boxing movie since ‘Rocky’

“Creed 3” is one of the best sports films ever made. The film not only establishes Jordan and Majors as bonafide superstars, it also heralds Jordan as the next great director. 

Review: ‘UGLY’ is a post-punk rebirth

When I put on Slowthai’s newest project on a cozy Friday morning, I was not expecting to be met with a propulsive, anxious and fervidly aggressive electro-industrial track. Slowthai’s last album “Tyron” was a departure from the UK rapper’s grime and punk roots, alternating between boastful trap anthems and R&B-influenced introspection. With “UGLY,” the Northampton-born rapper has reinvented himself once again. 

Five of Houston’s indie theatre productions to watch

Tired of scrolling through Netflix for new shows to watch? Impatient for more theatre productions on campus? For your viewing pleasure, the Thresher has compiled five up-and-coming indie theatre shows produced by local venues, and all are likely to be hard acts to follow.

.SWOOSH: Nike bets on the Metaverse

Fashion has been making a comeback in the metaverse. Virtual characters can now don North Face puffers and Off-White hoodies in Snapchat Bitmojis, Jordans in the “NBA 2K” video game series and Fortnite unicorn back bling. There have long been ways to express yourself in online worlds (think skins in video games), but only recently with the emergence of blockchain technology have big fashion companies started to explore that space as well. One brand investing heavily in the metaverse market is Nike, and they recently hosted a community event at Houston’s The Better Generation sneaker shop showcasing .SWOOSH, Nike’s virtual creations division.

Rice’s newest statue founds a ‘Blank Slate’ for conversation

​​There’s a new statue on campus, and it’s intentionally provocative. This is the first time that “A Blank Slate: Hope for a New America,” an interactive sculpture on a national tour, is being exhibited on a university campus.  The monument, created by Ghanaian artist Kwame Akoto-Bamfo to disrupt Confederate and segregated spaces, was first unveiled in Ghana in 2019 and has since been exhibited in numerous American cities, including Chicago, New York and Washington D.C. Rice University is its penultimate stop before Galveston, where it will be for Juneteenth. The monument was unveiled on March 4 and is currently located in front of the Provisional Campus Facilities tents on College Way. The exhibit has been sponsored by Rice’s Center for African and African American Studies, the School of Social Sciences, the School of Humanities and Hanszen College.

The environment meets multimedia theatrical performances in EcoStudio

Inside the Shepherd School’s Wortham Theater, environmental issues are regularly brought to life in the form of multimedia works. Wortham Theater is the stage for ENST 422: EcoStudio, a space transformed into a multimedia classroom by Kurt D. Stallmann, Director of the Rice Electroacoustic Music Labs. Stallmann and his co-instructor Joseph A. Campana, Rice English professor and poet, spent months discussing how to get students to collaborate and engage with environmental issues. The idea for the course was born from these discussions.