Special Projects

‘The Revolutionists’ tackle comédie, égalité et sororité

In “The Revolutionists,” Rice Arts  discusses the value of drama to make sense of, and guide our response to, turbulent worlds. The play offers a speculative history of the French Revolution, following four women and their fictionalized friendship. 

Five years later: tracing COVID-19

Five years ago, high schools and universities across the country went on spring break a few weeks early. Then, spring break never ended.

‘He makes me want to learn more math’: Frank Jones reflects on retirement

Some things happen for a reason — math professor Frank Jones’ life is perhaps a testament to that very idea. Born in Amarillo, Texas, Jones came from a family of dentists and transferred to Rice in his sophomore year to study chemical engineering. 

Your post-midterm guide to a Houston spring break

Now that midterms are finally over, and you have a whole free week ahead, start planning your staycation. Get out of bed and leave your laptop behind. 

What we want to see from the new Student Association

After an election marked by last-minute changes and ballot errors, Trevor Tobey has been elected Student Association president and will soon settle into his post alongside the rest of the new executive board. 

Online directory goes password protected, citing phishing risks

The Rice online directory was changed to be only accessible through a password protected site March 10. The directory contains names and contact information for faculty, staff, alumni and students, with the exception of students who have requested to have their information removed.

Sunrise Rice protests greenwashing at Houston energy conference

In Houston’s Discovery Green park, the Rice chapter of the Sunrise Movement joined protests against oil and gas executives attending the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference March 10.

New financial literacy program funded by $3 million donation

The Stinebaugh Family Financial Literacy program was recently announced, following a $3 million donation. The program will consist of a 1-credit hour course taught by financial advisor Mackenzie Kemp, in addition to workshops and mentorship opportunities.

Fondren Library celebrates religious diversity with Zoroastrian Day

An event spreading awareness of Zoroastrianism was held in Fondren Library March 6, including speakers from organizations both at and outside Rice, an exhibition in the Brown Fine Arts Gallery and a movie showing.

Current RMC to remain, second building to open in 2027

A brand-new, second student center will open by Fall 2027, president Reggie DesRoches announced in a March 3 email to campus. The current Rice Memorial Center will not be demolished, and will continue to house Rice Coffeehouse, Pub and student media during construction over the next two years. It will undergo renovations after the second building is complete. 

SA voting delayed by one day after ballot errors

The Student Association election ballot was recalled just an hour after it went live Feb. 26 after voters found errors. At the end of the ballot, voters were presented with five different constitutional amendments, which proposed varying changes ranging from grammatical fixes to raising the Blanket Tax. The original ballot only allowed students one vote instead of five individual ones, presenting the amendments as a bundle.

Rice rebrands DEI office amid federal scrutiny

Rice has renamed its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence, announced in a Feb. 28 campus-wide email from Provost Amy Dittmar. This change arrives as universities across the country adapt — often altering or erasing diversity statements entirely — to federal anti-DEI legislation.

Students petition for immigrant student sanctuary policies

Students are petitioning university officials to declare Rice a sanctuary campus, which offers protections to international and undocumented students and, notably, does not cooperate with immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. The petition garnered over 400 signatures by March 4, said Conner Schultz, the co-chair of Rice’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America. Rice YDSA spearheaded the petition, which has now been co-signed by campus organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine, Planned Parenthood Generation and Rice Urbanists.

Admin agrees to $10 min. wage

The Student Association’s Labor Commission received a verbal commitment from Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman Feb. 10 to raise the student minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 an hour. This change will be applied in July 2025 for the start of the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Abell replaces Intellectual Brutality slogan with ‘WE’

As soon as Rice football head coach Scott Abell arrived for his first day on campus last November, he began preaching an acronym: “WE.”

SA & Thresher Cut Backpage’s Power

03-05-2025 "Owl-American"

“Who’s WE?”

Men’s Tennis 7-4 leading up to conference matches

The Rice men’s tennis team is midway through their season, ranked No. 65 according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association with a record of 7-4. The team is back in Houston with three upcoming matches at home after spending the weekend in La Jolla, California for the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship.

Meet football’s 2025 early enrollees

This spring semester, Rice football welcomed a number of new players to the program. Seven of them are early enrollees, graduating from their respective high schools a semester early and matriculating at Rice before any of the other Class of 2025 recruits. 

Musical apocalypse hits Rice

Music, screaming and laughs filled McMurtry College commons Feb. 27 to March 1, as Lovett Theatre and McMurtry Arts Committee brought to life the horror-comedy-musical: “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals.”