Special Projects

NEWS 3/10/20 8:27pm

Faculty prepare for possible transition to remote instruction

By Amy Qin

Faculty and university staff have begun to prepare for the possibility of transitioning to remote classes following spring break, according to an email sent to faculty obtained by the Thresher. As part of an ongoing response to the possible spread of the COVID-19 virus on campus, Rice University canceled all classes and graded exams and assignments for the week of March 9.

NEWS 3/10/20 8:25pm

NASA to launch student-created OwlSat satellite in 2022

By Brian Lin

The 2,200 satellites currently zipping through low-earth orbit at 17,500 miles per hour depend on sophisticated models to keep them from colliding, and data collected by Rice’s OwlSat satellite, set to launch some time in 2022, could make those models even better.

NEWS 3/10/20 8:23pm

On-campus admissions events cancelled over coronavirus concerns

By Savannah Kuchar

With concerns about the potential spread of coronavirus on campus, the admissions office has taken precautions to limit the interaction with people outside the Rice community on campus. On-campus tours, lunch hosting and events for prospective students including Owl Days and Admit Days have been canceled through April 30.

NEWS 3/10/20 8:18pm

Faculty Senate to decide on recommended pass/fail alterations

By Talha Arif

The Faculty Senate working group investigating the pass/fail system at Rice published their final report last week for the Faculty Senate to deliberate over. The recommendations have generated significant backlash from students, evidenced by the Student Association Senate gathering survey feedback, with over 600 responses, alongside the development of a resolution of opposition to the proposed changes.

NEWS 3/10/20 8:17pm

Rice suspends classes after positive COVID-19 case

By Rishab Ramapriyan and Rachel Carlton

Rice Crisis Management canceled all classes for the week of March 9, along with all on-campus public events with more than 100 attendees through April 30, according to an alert sent on Sunday afternoon. The cancellation follows the confirmation of a Rice employee testing positive for the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, which was reported last Thursday.

NEWS 3/10/20 8:12pm

Beer Bike, major events canceled for semester

By Christina Tan

For the first time in its 64-year history, Beer Bike is canceled with no current plans to reschedule. As part of their response to the emerging crisis of COVID-19, Rice has prohibited all on-campus public events with more than 100 people,

NEWS 3/10/20 8:08pm

Pub shut down following Wiess changeover

By Savannah Kuchar

Last week, Willy’s Pub was shut down for at least the rest of the semester, following an incident involving underage drinking during a Wiess College student government changeover event held on Feb. 28.

NEWS 3/10/20 8:06pm

Student-run businesses close in wake of COVID-19

By Rynd Morgan

All student-run businesses, including Rice Coffeehouse, Rice Bikes and The Hoot in addition to student-owned East-West Tea, will be closed from now until the end of spring break, according to the businesses’ respective Facebook pages. The closures come in the wake of the cancellation of all classes for the week of March 9.

OPINION 3/10/20 6:44pm

Centralize COVID-19 communication

By Thresher Editorial Board

As students in the midst of a global epidemic, we understand that there are things we must sacrifice for our safety and the safety of our community: no in-person classes, no Beer Bike, no school-sponsored trips.

OPINION 3/10/20 6:42pm

This is voter suppression

By Hannah Kaplan

On election day, Poe Elementary, the closest polling location to Rice, had wait times upward of two hours. The Rice University Young Democrats, Rice University College Republicans and Civic Duty Rice worked with the administration to provide a Rice shuttle to transport students to the polls.

OPINION 3/10/20 6:39pm

Letter to the editor: ‘Do-errs’ do learn to lead

By Brooklyn Holt

In her March 3 opinion piece, Rachel Lisker misrepresents many Rice students and provides inaccurate information about the Doerr Institute.

SPORTS 3/10/20 6:37pm

Men’s basketball snags No. 12 seed in C-USA tournament

By Ben Baker-Katz

Rice men’s basketball will begin the Conference USA tournament tonight when they take on Florida International University at 6:30 p.m. in Frisco, Texas at the Ford Center at the Star. The Owls have already seen the Panthers once this year, culminating in a 92-78 Rice victory back in January.

SPORTS 3/10/20 6:34pm

Women’s basketball enters C-USA tournament as No. 1 seed

By Ben Baker-Katz

Rice women’s basketball will look to defend its Conference USA title when the team plays its first game of the C-USA tournament tomorrow. The Owls’ opponent is not yet known, as they will be playing the winner of Wednesday’s game pitting Marshall University against the University of Southern Mississippi.

SPORTS 3/10/20 6:34pm

Men’s tennis set for two matches at home this week

By Spencer Moffat

After winning a match against Prairie View A&M University on March 2 in which the Rice men’s tennis team convincingly won the doubles point and all six singles matches, the Owls lost 1-6 to No. 3 University of Texas, Austin.

FEATURES 3/10/20 6:19pm

From Rice to reality TV: Shaan Patel connects back to his roots on new Bravo show

By Kavya Sahni

When Shaan Patel graduated from Rice in 2014, he only had plans to be an architect. Now, he is one of the stars of “Family Karma,” a new reality show on Bravo TV.

FEATURES 3/10/20 6:12pm

Fernanda Lago finds expression in laser-cutting earrings

By Ivanka Perez

When she was younger, Fernanda Lago was too much of a tomboy to wear earrings. An avid sports player, she had no interest in dangly earrings — they only got in the way. Little did she know that a decade later, she’d be designing and selling her own.

A&E 3/10/20 5:56pm

Historic SXSW cancellation leaves Austin arts industries reeling

By Katelyn Landry

South by Southwest, an annual music, film, technology and media festival held in Austin, was canceled Friday, March 6 amid concerns about COVID-19. The cancellation was ordered after both the City of Austin and Travis County declared a local state of disaster on Friday. Despite having no reported cases of coronavirus in the Austin area, the declarations were signed by Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt as a precautionary measure against the rapidly escalating epidemic.

A&E 3/10/20 5:55pm

Review: Indie duo Tennis brings intimacy to Houston show

By Lia Pikus

Last Monday night, as indie duo Tennis took the stage at White Oak Music Hall, frontrunner Alaina Moore and I had two important things in common: We both were sporting fabulous jumpsuits, and we both were horribly sick with head colds.

A&E 3/10/20 5:54pm

DJ Screw’s legacy manifests beyond music at new CAMH exhibit

By Sanvitti Sahdev

Two decades after his death, DJ Screw’s legacy has been captured and immortalized by 15 visual artists at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in a unique two-part exhibition titled “Slowed and Throwed: Records of the City Through Mutated Lenses.” The exhibit is inspired by the techniques of the chopped and screwed genre, which DJ Screw, born Robert Earl Davis Jr., developed in the early 1990s, and which has since become synonymous with Houston’s hip-hop identity.

NEWS 3/4/20 12:18am

Rice employees donate mostly to Democratic candidates

By Serene Lee

Rice faculty and administrators have donated $791,014 to various political campaigns and organizations since the 2012 election cycle, with the majority of donations going to Democratic candidates, according to a review of the Federal Election Commission Records.