Special Projects

Rice alumnus wins VA governorship

Glenn Youngkin Will Rice College ’90 was recently elected governor of Virginia, the first Rice alumnus to win a governorship in the university’s history. Youngkin, a Republican, defeated Democrat and former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe in the race last Tuesday Nov. 2. Originally from Virginia, Youngkin graduated from Rice in 1990, where he played on the basketball team for four years. 

Rice announces $2 billion ‘Be Bold’ fundraising campaign

On Oct. 29, President David Leebron announced the launching of “Be Bold: The Campaign for Rice” at Owl Together’s Town Hall event. The campaign is a $2 billion fundraising effort, of which $1.2 billion have already been raised, aimed at expanding Rice’s facilities, faculty, student body, programs and overall reach and impact on the world. 

Uyghur activist speaks at Rice on genocide in Xinjiang

Rushan Abbas spoke at Rice last Thursday on the ongoing genocide of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, China. Abbas has been an advocate for the Uyghur people since the 1980s, and has been affected by this crisis on a deeply personal level, according to sociology lecturer Craig Considine. 

Weekly Scenes and Screens, Nov. 3

Rice business ranked No. 3 for entrepreneurship, up from No. 15 last year

Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business was ranked No. 3 in Poets & Quants’ World’s Best MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship rankings for 2022, up from No. 15 on the 2021 list. Peter Rodriguez, dean of the Jones Graduate School of Business, said that the Poets & Quants ranking is influential despite being relatively new. Rodriguez said that he is happy with the Poets & Quants ranking, which he believes tends to be more quantitative and holistic than the other rankings.

Students, faculty reflect on CDOD course after two weeks

For the past two weeks, new students have been participating in a new course known as Critical Dialogues on Diversity, discussing critical approaches to culture, identity and dialogue. The new course follows a pilot session that was taught in the spring by Associate Dean Catherine Clack and Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alexander Byrd, which was attended by a small group of students, who elected to take the course. Byrd said that this was one of the things to consider when they were transitioning from the pilot course to offering the class as a required course for all freshmen.

Mapping Rice’s COVID-19 policy changes throughout the fall semester

Rice Community Mourns Loss of Ricardo Poveda Calderon

Ricardo Poveda Calderon, a Rice graduate student studying in the mechanical engineering department, passed away Oct. 24 at the age of 32. Poveda was a Fullbright scholar and an active member of the Rice graduate student community. He was involved in the Latin American Graduate Student Association, Graduate Student Association and numerous intramural graduate club sport programs.

Spring 2022 Schedule

Forbes defends title, women’s and men’s XC finish top 5 at conference

Sophomore Grace Forbes defended her Conference USA cross country championship title last Saturday, securing her second conference title in as many years en route to a third place finish for the women’s cross country team. 

New look women’s hoops is ready for new season

When the calendar turns over into November, it not only means that Thanksgiving is right around the corner , but that it’s time to start the college basketball season. With the opening night at Tudor Fieldhouse set for this Tuesday, the Rice women’s basketball team looks to follow up on their WNIT championship last season with another strong year, but will have to overcome an offseason of turnover first.

Men’s basketball to rely on experience this year

Following last year’s quarterfinal exit in the Conference USA tournament and their 15-13 record, men’s basketball head coach Scott Pera and his team hope to have a more successful season as they continue to build the program for the future. Pera will be entering his fifth season as the head coach of the Owls and had his first winning season leading the Owls last year. 

11-3-2021 Crossword: "Dia de los Muertos"

11-3-2021 Editorial Cartoon

Lindsay Edmonds knows it’s all about the people

Long before she was offered the head coaching job at Rice, Lindsay Edmonds knew the one thing she would focus on if she ever got a chance to take over a program of her own. “I learned from both [former James Madison University head coach] Kenny Brooks and [North Carolina State University head coach] Wes Moore how to do things the right way in your program and with the right people,” Edmonds said. “It was a non-negotiable for both of them so I know that’s how I want to run my program — [making] sure that I’m getting the right people here. It’s not just about basketball players, it’s about getting well-rounded [people].”

Jasmine Hearn brings their experiences to the Moody Center through dance

Jasmine Hearn, an artist who incorporates dance, sound and costume into their performances, will be performing at the Moody Center for the Arts on Nov. 5 with three improvisational solo performances at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. with free admission. Hearn was commissioned as part of Moody Center’s Dimensions Variable series, which brings performance art to Moody in conversation with its current exhibitions. They will be performing dance, featuring sound and song, in conversation with Kapwani Kiwanga’s current exhibition at the Moody Center and is a part of their “Nile: A Wondering River” series. Due to its improvisational nature, they do not exactly what their performance will look like. 

Spring into art this course registration

​​As spring course registration approaches, why not take advantage of all that Rice has to offer and venture into the arts? Whether someone is fitting the course between general chemistry and computer science or looking to add yet another art class to their schedule, everyone needs a change of pace, and these courses may offer just that. With everything from watching modernist auteur cinema to movement training for actors, Rice offers courses for a variety of interests. Not only do several of these courses fill distribution group one requirements, they also offer a new way to engage with the material, often with plenty of hands-on and performance-based work. So, before you completely fill up your schedule, try springing into these fine arts-based courses. 

Review: ‘The French Dispatch’ is a solid but not stellar addition to Wes Anderson’s portfolio

Wes Anderson’s movies exist between disagreement and divisiveness. He’s a filmmaker so distinct and unwavering in his style that you either love him or hate him, but his films aren’t likely to lead to spirited debate. Anderson clicks for some people, and for others he doesn’t. “The French Dispatch” is no different. As a solid but not stellar entry from Anderson, this movie should be enjoyable for fans of his work but an easy skip for his detractors. 

Gerardo Rosales unveils first Moody Project Wall

The Moody Project Wall, a new initiative that sets aside a large interior wall in the Moody Center for the Arts for muralists, recently welcomed its first tenant: Houston artist Gerardo Rosales’s “¡Displaced Mundo!,” an original mural meant to call attention to the struggle of Venezuelans displaced by the nation’s current economic crisis. 

‘We can make it': Tomás Morín releases new poetry collection

Tomás Morín, a poet and assistant professor of creative writing at Rice, released his new book “Machete” on Oct. 12. “Machete” is Morín’s third published book, a poetry collection that he calls his most personal yet. Morín and other writers will come together for a reading on Rice campus on Nov. 16.