Special Projects

Review: ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ is hilariously bizarre

Eric Appel’s 2010 movie trailer spoof from Funny or Die has expanded into a full-length film “biopic” about and co-written with Al Yankovic. Starring Daniel Radcliffe in a curly wig and colorful Hawaiian shirts, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is hilarious, dramatic and, most importantly, almost entirely fictional.

Celebrate Indigenous heritage in HTX

This November is Native American Heritage Month, and places both near and far from campus in the greater Houston area are hosting several events. Ranging from intimate readings to lively performances, this list includes representation from many of the tribes, not only regionally, but also from across the United States. Learn about several of the many things coming to Houston for this heritage month and be sure to check out your favorites.

‘As wonky as possible’: Rice Chorale finds joy in music

Every Monday and Wednesday, music director Tom Jaber shepherds the Rice Chorale, a group of students plucked from various majors and years, into a practice room to sing choir music. Currently, the chorus is preparing for their upcoming show on Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Edythe Bates Old Organ Hall at the Shepherd School of Music. This is Jaber’s 35th year as a professor and director of choral music at the Shepherd School of Music. Throughout the years, he has led the Chorale through multiple changes in the voice department and revived the group after disbanding during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Author Wayétu Moore explores dating, intersectionality

Liberian-American author and entrepreneur Wayétu Moore hosted a book reading Nov. 3 in the Rice Memorial  Chapel. The reading delved into themes of Blackness, dating and intersectionality, and was sponsored by the Cherry Reading Series, R2: The Rice Review and Rice’s Department of English.

‘Students helping students’: RHAs discuss their roles

Whether offering you a Band-Aid, chatting about mental health or putting on a health education event, Rice Health Advisors are here for you. Beyond acting as a resource for their peers, RHAs also frequently host wellbeing events that are open to Rice students. 

Juan José Castellón talks inspiration behind new exhibit

Juan José Castellón’s award winning exhibit “Building Ecologies: Collective Urban Infrastructures in Houston” is now open for visitors at POST Houston. Partnering with the TEDxHouston Countdown event, this project features sustainability and attempted solutions to the ongoing climate crisis through rooftop urban infrastructure. 

‘C’est banana’: Unique courses to enroll in this semester

It’s that time of the year again — spring semester course registration. From agricultural techniques to monsters to the linguistics of made-up languages, the Thresher compiled a list of both distribution and student-led courses that any student can take to satisfy their graduation requirements or thirst for knowledge. 

The Honor Council needs to act more responsibly

For the past year, I have served as an at-large representative on the Rice Honor Council. I have sat through dozens of cases, read hundreds of pages of evidence and spent countless hours working to improve the transparency and fairness of the Honor System. While there are a myriad of issues with the Honor System, as there are with any institutional system, there is one in particular that needs to be addressed with expediency. The Honor Council is currently not an effective deliberative body due to the general lack of engagement from some of its members, which include elected representatives.  

Campus deserves an actual policy debate

If you had stumbled into the Baker Institute on Nov. 7 expecting a showdown between the Rice Democrats and Rice Republicans, you would’ve been sorely disappointed. The debate, a tradition which has not occurred since 2018, was canceled. We are not missing much, though: the debate would have just regurgitated generic and predetermined political party talking points. If we want campus discussions on politics to have an impact beyond elections, we should invite all voices to the table and talk policy on a comprehensive level.

BISF debate canceled amid a variety of concerns

The debate between the Rice University College Republicans and the Rice Young Democrats hosted by the Baker Institute Student Forum was canceled over the weekend after both groups declined to participate. The debate was originally set for Monday, Nov. 7.

Electoral Result 2022

Second annual I Love the Nickel Block Party unites Fifth Ward community

Last Saturday, the I Love the Nickel Block Party brought together members of the Fifth Ward community, intertwining the buried stories of Louis White Grocery Store and its owner, civil rights activist Elnora White. Urban Engaged HTX, a new nonprofit established by Ashley Ruiz, hosted the block party. Urban Engaged is a fully Latina-owned urban property development company, which aims to uplift the Fifth Ward community through outreach, restorations and social events.  

Meet the ACL Artist: The Future X talks touring and TikTok

Pop group The Future X took on Austin City Limits on Oct. 8, fresh from their stint at the 2022 Honda Civic Tour.  The group’s members include singers Luke Brown, Angie Green and Maci Wood, and dancers Tray Taylor, Sasha Marie, Jayna Hughes and Drew Venegas. Each member was handpicked by ‘American Idol’ creator Simon Fuller via TikTok.  

Houston rap legend Paul Wall set to compete with Gary Clark Jr. in musical showdown

Though many Rice students might not know the name Paul Wall, their favorite Houston artists certainly do. The self-proclaimed “Peoples Champ,” Wall and his famous grill have been influential in the Houston music community since the late 1990s. Wall, whose love for Houston is renowned, said that being able to represent the Houston music community and help aspiring Houston artists has been a lifelong dream.

11-02-2022 Crossword Solutions

11-02-22 Crossword: "Cross Words"

This is a new low for Rice football

ESPN’s Ryan McGee publishes a list of the ten worst teams in college football’s primary division. Rice has graduated from the rotation of teams regularly featured in his column, but their opponent last week, the then 1-7 University of North Carolina at Charlotte, hasn’t – they were the last ranked team in his most recent list.

Volleyball’s defensive ace McCardell talks family, return from injury

When you look at the volleyball court, it’s hard to miss junior libero Nia McCardell, who sports a different colored jersey than her teammates. But it’s not just the color of her jersey that’s made McCardell stand out this season. McCardell has stepped into the spotlight for the Owls this season, earning four Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week awards this year alone.

Nightmare on South Main: Football blown out by last-place Charlotte on Homecoming

In the true spirit of Halloween, Rice Stadium resembled a haunted house with proverbial carnage all over the field following Saturday’s loss. Going into the game as 15 point favorites against the last-place team in Conference USA, who had fired their head coach six days prior, all indications pointed to the Owls celebrating Homecoming with a resounding win. But not only did the University of North Carolina at Charlotte spoil the Homecoming festivities, they did so with a 33 point victory, defeating the Owls 56-23. Head coach Mike Bloomgren was very disappointed with the loss after the game.

“It’s time to elevate it one more step”: MBB eyes C-USA’s top half

Last year, Rice’s men’s basketball team saw their season slip through their hands as their injuries began to pile up. The team ended the season 16-17 with a second round exit in the Conference USA tournament. They return much of their entire team from last season, but will need to replace leading scorer Carl Pierre and starting guard Chris Mullins. According to Olivari, they’ve finally added the kind of depth that will allow them to give other teams a variety of looks.