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Thursday, September 04, 2025 — Houston, TX

Special Projects

A&E 8/26/25 10:06pm

Thresher’s Lollapalooza report: Who ruled Grant Park?

By Radhani Kapoor and Arman Saxena

Chicago’s Grant Park ran on pure dopamine this weekend — surprise debuts, late-but-worth-it arrivals, confetti, fireworks and at least three mass sing-alongs an hour. From Joey Valence & BRAE road-testing new indietronica to A$AP Rocky cracking open his vault, T-Pain turning the field into karaoke and Olivia Rodrigo summoning Weezer, Lollapalooza felt like a live-wire mixtape. Doechii built a universe, TWICE made history and Sabrina signed off with a superstar-cementing finale. Here’s what actually lived up to the skyline.

A&E 8/26/25 10:05pm

“Ginny & Georgia” Season 3: A Messy, Magnetic Villain Origin Story

By Charlie Cruz

I’ll admit it: I came into “Ginny & Georgia” expecting another glossy Netflix soap that looks great in a weekend binge but evaporates from memory by Monday. By the end of season three, I realized I’d been doing something I rarely do with shows like this: I was taking notes. Not on the plot (though it’s as twisty and outrageous as ever), but on the characters. I loved them. I was grinning from ear to ear watching them scheme, stumble and monologue their way through impossible situations. That’s when I knew: this show had done something right.

A&E 8/26/25 10:03pm

“Weapons” Aims for the Heart of American Horror but Misses Its Mark

By Charlie Cruz

I first heard of “Weapons” when I noticed it sitting at a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. That number has since dropped, but it speaks to the wave of acclaim the film has ridden since its release. And while I don’t agree with the score, I get why the hype built so quickly. “Weapons” is the kind of horror-comedy that blends unsettling dread with moments of absurd humor, a tonal balancing act that feels rare in a studio horror film.

A&E 8/26/25 10:02pm

Review: Quadeca rises from the sea fully-formed on “Vanisher, Horizon Scraper”

By Arman Saxena

The first notes you hear on Quadeca’s newest album “Vanisher, Horizon Scraper” are from Chico Buarque’s seminal Brazilian classic “Construção”. By opening this project with that sample, the former “Bad Internet Rapper,” notorious for getting in a beef with fellow internet personality KSI, seems to be saying that the project his audience is about to hear will be as ambitious as Buarque’s classic.  

A&E 8/26/25 10:01pm

Review: “GOLLIWOG” is another billy woods masterpiece

By Arman Saxena

billy woods' “GOLLIWOG” is a magnum opus, a rare rap album that blends trenchant political critique with intimate reflections on trauma. It is a visceral exploration of post-colonial oppression and the psychic residue it leaves behind. woods doesn’t just create a narrative about history; he immerses the listener in its emotional weight, making this album a haunting meditation on survival, loss and resistance. 

A&E 8/26/25 9:59pm

Conan Gray’s “Wishbone” is the lucky break fans wanted

By Caleb Lin

For fans of Olivia Rodrigo’s “SOUR,” Gracie Abrams’ “The Secret of Us” and his 2020 debut “Kid Krow,” Conan Gray delivers another masterful heartbreak piece with his fourth studio album “Wishbone.” Collaborating with Dan Nigro, the producer of his first two albums, has brought out more intimate tracks that focus on introspective songwriting. In his Instagram post announcing the album, Gray describes “Wishbone” as an “egregiously niche soundtrack to our own lives” and “the slivers of [himself he’d] always been.” From break-up anthems to yearning ballads, “Wishbone” showcases all the (very relatable) ways a heart can splinter.

NEWS 8/26/25 9:52pm

Senate introduces amendments, talks printing credit

By Hope Yang

The Student Association amended four previously proposed amendments at this semester’s inaugural Senate meeting on Monday. The changes streamline grammar and clarificatory changes, allowing for continuous review of the Initiative Fund and changes clarifying University Court impeachment and Blanket Tax Organization dissolution processes.

NEWS 8/26/25 9:50pm

Rice makes major shift towards AI with new degree

By Aisha Khemani

This semester, Rice is embracing artificial intelligence in more ways than one. The Department of Computer Science launched a new bachelor’s degree in AI this semester, and the university has been promoting itself with AI-generated content around campus and on social media.

NEWS 8/26/25 9:47pm

O-Week: By the numbers

By Hongtao Hu

1,345: After the rush of college applications and acceptance letters settled, a total of 1,345 freshmen walked through the Sallyport to cheers and fireworks, kicking off their very first week as Rice students. This represents a yield of 45%, out of a total of 2,852 students accepted, amounting to an 8% acceptance rate of the 36,791 applicants for the class of 2029. This is a 17% increase, 196 students, from the 1,149 admitted to the class of 2028. 

NEWS 8/26/25 9:40pm

Baylor and Rice collaborate on AI humanities center

By Sanjana Ramieni

A new Center for Humanities-based Health AI Innovation launched this summer as a partnership between Rice and Baylor College of Medicine. According to Baylor, the center will aim to address an emerging issue in healthcare: incorporating human experiences and reducing bias in artifical intelligence. This three-year initiative is funded by a $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

OPINION 8/26/25 9:11pm

Letter from the editors’ desk: Journalism is a community practice

By Kathleen Ortiz and Sarah Knowlton

First of all, we want to thank y’all for picking up the paper, reading our stories and answering our questions all the time. We want to inform students, staff and the community about what is happening at Rice, and the only way to do that is by hearing from you. Talk to us, email us, submit tips on our website, write an opinion piece; however you want to communicate, we always want to know what matters to you.

OPINION 8/26/25 9:07pm

Letter from the Provost: Welcome and good luck, new Owls

By Amy Dittmar

Welcome to Rice! We look forward to guiding you as you experience this special place that encourages students to grow in and outside of the classroom. The culture on campus is built to support you through your successes and challenges as you achieve existing goals and realize new ones. That’s the beauty of Rice — you will be exposed to new opportunities that you didn’t even know were possible.

SPORTS 8/26/25 9:02pm

12 things to know about Rice Athletics

By Andersen Pickard and Evie Vu

The Owls are members of the American Conference, previously called the American Athletic Conference. The football program competes within the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Across campus, over 500 student-athletes currently compete in 14 varsity sports, with the 15th sport—women’s golf—to play its inaugural season in Fall 2026. 

SPORTS 8/26/25 8:58pm

Rice soccer kicks off its 25th season

By Evie Vu

Rice women’s soccer returns for its 25th season this fall. The team aims to improve from last year, where they went 12-6-2, a rebuilding season after a poor 2023 record due to the departure of key starting players. In 2024, the Owls advanced to the American Conference semifinals before falling to No. 19 Memphis. 

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