Special Projects

Letter to the Editor: What should we call “Willy Week”?

 As the parade to Beer Bike 1992 devolved into a water balloon melee, I picked up a pink water balloon and flung it in the general direction of a group of Sidizens who had been pelting me and my fellow Wiessmen with them.  As I did so, I felt my Rice ring slip from my finger.  A moment later, in the distance, I heard the metallic ping as my ring fell to the pavement.  “My ring!  My ring came off!”  I don’t know how I was heard over the din of laughter and yelling, but in a few moments, Rice students from three or four colleges paused their good-natured rivalry and helped me recover it, only a little worse for wear.  I wore that slightly dented ring up until replacing it for my 25th reunion a few years ago.

Low vaccine survey response rate impedes fall semester planning

Only about half of the student body has filled out the vaccine survey sent out in the COVID-19 Response Weekly Update, and the non-satisfactory response rate is preventing the administration from planning for a fully in-person fall 2021 semester, according to Kevin Kirby, vice president of administration. 

Up and Coming Rice Instagrams

Senior Spotlight: Maddy Scannell talks debate and finding balance

Maddy Scannell first started debating her freshman year of high school, almost eight years ago. Just last month, as a member of Rice’s debate team, the Martel College senior reached the quarterfinals in the National Parliamentary Debate Association 2021 Championship Tournament.

4-14-21 Crossword #2: "Ssssss"

4-14-21 Crossword #1: "Dishwasher"

Account for international students when planning for fall

 On Rice’s campus, a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel finally seems to be emerging. The administration is optimistic about “a mostly normal fall semester,” according to communications sent out by Kevin Kirby. According to President Leebron’s announcement on fall planning, most classes are expected to be in person, most university housing is expected to be fully occupied and COVID-19 policies regarding gathering restrictions are expected to be relaxed. The road forward for many Rice students is clear: Sign up for a vaccine appointment as soon as possible and wait for more than 80% of the Rice community to be fully vaccinated so that COVID-19 policies can be relaxed.

Soccer shuts out UAB, extends win streak to five

With the season almost over, the Rice women’s soccer team has registered a record of 9-2, while winning four out of five total games in Conference USA play. With the team’s 1-0 overtime win over the University of Alabama Birmingham on Friday, the Owls extended their current winning streak to five games, and took sole control of the first place spot in the West Division as they enter the last week of the regular season. With the C-USA Championship Tournament starting within a week, head coach Brian Lee said it was important that the team won such a close game.  

Black at Rice: Edesiri Mushale discusses mechanical engineering and passion for people

When Edesiri Mushale was in high school, he thought he wanted to be a doctor.  “My mom is a nurse and I really liked helping people,” Mushale, a McMurtry College senior, said. “I didn’t really realize how long the process [of becoming a doctor] was going to be.”  However, his experiences on various robotics teams led him to change his interests. Mushale first joined the robotics team in the seventh grade; in high school, he continued with the activity and joined a larger team. 

Langley leaves Rice for University of Washington

Rice women’s basketball head coach Tina Langley is leaving the Owls to accept the head coaching position at the University of Washington, it was announced on Monday. Langley leaves the Owls with the highest winning percentage in program history. Rice must now find a replacement to take over a program that won the Women’s National Invitational Tournament title just over a week ago.

4-7-21 Crossword #2: "Take an L"

4-7-21 Crossword #1: "Cinematic"

Larry McMurtry, author and Rice alum, passes at age 84

Larry McMurtry (class of ’60), a novelist and screenwriter who attended and taught English courses at Rice University, passed away on March 25 at age 84. He is survived by his wife, son, siblings and grandson. 

Beer Bike 2021 themes, predictions, and pictures

Men’s tennis falls UTSA, women split matches in Florida

The Rice men’s tennis team lost their game last weekend, falling to the University of Texas, San Antonio by a score of 5-2. With the loss, their record fell to 8-9 on the season. 

Volleyball loses in C-USA finals, qualifies for NCAA tourney

The Rice volleyball team took second place in the Conference USA tournament over the weekend, falling to No. 19 Western Kentucky University in the championship match. Entering the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the C-USA West Division, the Owls got off to a strong start, taking each of their first two matches in straight sets. However, in the final round, they were unable to defeat the Hilltoppers, losing three sets to one. Despite the loss, the No. 24 Owls secured a spot in the NCAA tournament when the field was announced on Sunday.  

We still need to care about voter suppression in a post-Trump America

Just a couple of months ago, Gov. Greg Abbott declared “election integrity” to be an emergency item for the 2021 Texas legislative session. This was promptly followed by the National Republican Party launching a committee to pursue state election laws, praising Abbott’s initiative. With Senate Bill 7 (SB 7) and its House equivalent (HB 6), in addition to other bills directed at restricting voting access like House Bill 2293, marginalized groups will be further restricted from their right to vote. Shift workers who rely on later voting place hours will be without options. Individuals with disabilities who require vote-by-mail will be burdened with providing proof of their condition. Drive-thru voting will be banned. The role of poll watchers, already infamous for attracting self-appointed vigilantes of voter intimidation, will be able to record voters who receive help filling out their ballots. 

5th annual Houston Latino Film Festival displays Latinx diversity, tackles timely issues

The 5th annual Houston Latino Film Festival, which ran from March 19-28, featured films from all over Latin America and the United States, highlighting and promoting Latinx culture to the Houston community. The festival, which was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, showcased its selection of both feature and short films over virtual streaming platforms and in-person drive-in theater venues.  

Willy Week no more: Students have the power to distance from William Marsh Rice

This year’s Beer Bike Week looks quite different from years past, even in name. Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman encouraged Beer Bike coordinators to rename Willy Week to reflect the different nature of the event due to COVID restrictions. Individual college Beer Bike coordinators chose a variety of new, college-specific names; many told the Thresher that they were further motivated to change the name to distance their college from William Marsh Rice and that they may carry the name change into future years. Coordinators’ swift renaming of Willy Week reminds us that students have a lot of power at this university — and that we can and should use it to foster a Rice community that we’re proud of.

Postdoctoral fellow Alex Jong-Seok Lee navigates race, racism and identity in Asia

When postdoctoral fellow Alex Jong-Seok Lee conceptualized his course in Asian Studies last fall, he went back and thought about previous conversations with students about the kinds of courses they would be interested in. Although there are several courses in Asian American Studies at Rice that focus on ethnicity, health, class and gender, students had brought up one issue that wasn't covered in-depth: race in Asia.