Special Projects

Hanszen quad fills with music and community in new evening concert series

 Masked musicians, small groups and livestreaming equipment, all outdoors — the inaugural concert of the Hanszen Family Heart Chamber Music Festival showed us what performance looks like in a pandemic. The concert, held last Friday, Sept. 18 in Hanszen College’s quad, was the first in a series planned to recur on the third Friday of each month this semester, according to festival organizer and horn player Shawn Zheng. 

9/23 scenes and screens

Digital love: Rice students navigate romance during the pandemic

 When Karen Martinez Perez first met Daniel Ling in person after spending countless hours talking on FaceTime, she was relieved to find that the person she had been calling every night wasn’t a catfish. But Martinez Perez was mostly shocked, she said — she did not expect the familiar face on her phone to be 6 feet, 3 inches tall, towering over her 5 feet, 5 inches of height. 

Coffeehouse reopens after shutting down last semester

Rice Coffeehouse reopened its doors last Monday after shutting down in mid-March amid the pandemic, carrying out a soft reopening plan it has been shaping for months, according to Brendan Wong, the general manager of Coffeehouse. 

Rice ranked No. 16 in 2021 U.S. News rankings

Breaking its four-year tie with Cornell University, Rice University’s ranking tied with Washington University of St. Louis at No. 16 in the newly released U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best National Universities list, one place up from No. 17 last year.

New Sid Rich on track to finish by Jan. 2021

Construction of the new Sid Richardson College building is on schedule to be completed by the start of the spring semester and will be ready for occupancy when students return in the spring, according to Anzilla Gilmore, senior project manager for new Sid.

Students continue pushing for removal of the Founder’s Memorial, updated task force research revealed

A group of Rice students have continued the summer protest to remove the Founder’s Memorial through daily sit-ins in front of the Founder’s Memorial since Aug. 31. Shifa Abdul Rahman, a junior at Lovett College, organized the sit-ins to advocate for the immediate removal of the statue. 

Remote students build a life away from campus

This semester is unlike any other, and that may be most true for remote students, who can’t pick up Coffeehouse drinks, study at Fondren or chat with friends on the outer loop. The Thresher caught up with four remote students in different parts of the country to hear about what their experiences have been like so far –– from eating home-cooked meals to attending classes with their pets right next to them. 

‘We’re not going back’: Students talk mental health as pandemic drags on

Any Google search of COVID-19 will bring up lists of symptoms — fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath and more  — but these lists don’t always account for everything. Missing is the impact the disease has had on the mental health of people, regardless of whether they contracted the virus or not.  

Say something: Administration should respond to Willy’s statue sit-ins

Rice administration has yet to publicly respond to the demonstrations to remove Willy’s statue that began in the academic quad three weeks ago. Shifa Rahman, the first student to begin protesting regularly and primary organizer of the sit-ins, says administration has not reached out to address the situation in a private fashion either. As more students join the “Down with Willy” cause, pressure is mounting for the administration to respond. Why have they stayed silent for so long?  

Innovation District developers enter partnership with food insecurity non-profit

Rice Management Company has entered a multiyear partnership with Brighter Bites, a nonprofit focused on addressing food insecurity and health education, according to a Sept. 16 press release. Rice Management Company is currently developing The Ion, an under-construction tech hub in Midtown, as well as the South Main Innovation District in the surrounding neighborhoods of Midtown and Third Ward.

Hands off Belarus: What can we do across the ocean

September 11, 2020. We are standing on a sidewalk by a skyscraper near West Loop 610. Around 40 people came to this protest, all dressed in red and white colors. We are waving red and white flags. Songs in Belarusian, Russian and English are playing from the speakers. Many cars passing by are honking and their drivers are waving to us. Along the freeway, there are boards and placards with signs: “Putin Keep Out of Belarus,” “Stop Violence In Belarus” and “Long Live Belarus.”

Former Rice star runner turned ultramarathon champion

Think, for a moment, about how far 45 miles is. 15 times the distance around the outer loop. Almost the distance from Houston to Galveston. Not only did Rice alumna Nicole Mericle run 45 miles at the Grand Traverse Run Ultramarathon on Sept. 5, but she also won the entire female race in her first-ever ultramarathon race. 

IM sports adjust to distancing protocols

 At Rice, weekends in fall are typically rife with uproarious cries from flag football players draped in their college’s colors. Camaraderie, competition and championship hopes brew amongst the teams as each game marks a new memory for the students to share. Although this year is marked by the absence of traditional intramural sports due to COVID-19, the passion students harbor for sport is still ever-present.  

Rice Alerts warn students of escaped Ben Taub patients, prompting controversy

On Sept. 15, students, faculty and staff received a Rice Alert around midnight warning them that a patient, described as a Black male, had escaped custody from Ben Taub Hospital and was running towards Rice University. This was the second time this semester that the Rice Alerts system was used to notify students about escaped hospital patients. 

Review: The Flaming Lips dig deep with “American Head”

One of the most influential experimental psychedelic rock groups since the 1980s, The Flaming Lips have never been a band to bow to convention. Their new album “American Head” continues the group’s tradition of strong narrative songs sublimated by ethereal vocals and psychedelic musical experimentation. It follows their 2019 concept album “King’s Mouth,” an effort inspired by frontman Wayne Coyne’s art exhibit of the same name and narrated by Mick Jones of The Clash. 

NIKI shatters expectations and proves her prowess with debut album “Moonchild”

NIKI, the rising pop sensation hailing from Asian-based music collective 88rising recently released her highly anticipated debut album, “Moonchild.” Dubbed as the “internet’s favorite R&B princess” from the start of her career, Nicole Zefanya, better known as NIKI, is a 21-year-old Indonesian singer-songwriter. Niki’s breakout EP “Zephyr” catapulted her on the path to stardom and put her name on the map of emerging pop sensations as she racked up millions of streams across songs.

9-23-20 Crossword: "Everything but the Kitchen Sink"

Senior Spotlight: Sarah Kim finds growth at Rice

The enticing aroma of spicy rice cakes wafting down the street. The stark contrast of the chilly winter air. These are some of Sarah Kim’s favorite childhood memories: walking down the street near her apartment in Seoul to get rice cakes from street vendors with her parents and younger brother. The Baker College senior said her experiences living in South Korea with her family hold a special place in her heart.  

9-18-2020 Crossword: "Chosen Ones"