Special Projects

A&E 2/13/24 10:37pm

The Wild Grain returns after an extended hiatus

By Ashley Wang

Prior to this semester, if you asked anyone on campus, English major or not, if they had ever heard of The Wild Grain, you’d probably be met with a puzzled look. Co-editors-in-chief Essence Ratliff and Basma Bedawi are here to change that.

A&E 2/13/24 10:35pm

Fall in love with literature this February

By Hadley Medlock

While Valentine’s Day may be nearly over, it doesn’t mean the season of love, or reading about love, has to be. If you’re feeling literary this February, the Thresher has rounded up a list of must-reads for every hopeless romantic, relationship cynic and everyone in between.

A&E 2/13/24 10:34pm

Explore Black history through these books

By Arman Saxena

Almost 100 years ago, in February 1926, African-American historian Carter G. Woodson launched what eventually became Black History Month. Black history is American history and the lives and stories of African-Americans are too often sidelined when people tell the story of the United States. Literature is essential in sharing the Black experience, and the following works will serve as a good introduction for anyone wanting to start learning more about Black history this February.

NEWS 2/13/24 10:32pm

Asibbey and Doh run against each other for SA secretary

By Viola Hsia

Chelsea Asibbey, a freshman from Baker College, and Calla Doh, a freshman and new student representative from Hanszen College, are running in this year’s race for Student Association secretary.

NEWS 2/13/24 10:29pm

Deputy treasurer Stallings and NSR Ngo compete for SA treasurer

By Prasi Desai

Josh Stallings, currently the Student Association deputy treasurer, and Thomas Ngo, currently a new student representative from McMurtry College, are the two candidates vying for SA treasurer.

NEWS 2/13/24 10:25pm

Junge runs unopposed for EVP, aims to bridge gap between SA and student body

By Ivana Hsyung

Baker College freshman Asianna Junge is running unopposed for the position of the Student Association external vice president. She is currently serving as one of Baker’s new student representatives.

NEWS 2/13/24 10:24pm

Fresh off term as EVP, Unegbu is sole candidate for IVP

By Belinda Zhu

Crystal Unegbu, a junior from Hanszen College, is running uncontested for the Student Association internal vice president position. Unegbu is currently the SA’s external vice president, and previously served as one of Hanszen’s new student representatives.

NEWS 2/13/24 10:20pm

Rice enters new university paid partnership with the MFAH

By Viola Hsia

Starting this year, Rice IDs will no longer be sufficient to enter The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Instead, Rice now participates in the MFAH’s University Paid Partnership program, requiring students to pick up a UPP membership card to gain access. This is due to a change in the MFAH’s pricing, which has caused the Rice Program Council and Student Activities to revise their partnership, according to Brianna Bukowski, an RPC Passport to Houston Committee co-chair.

NEWS 2/13/24 10:18pm

NEST360 enters Phase Two of mission to reduce infant mortality

By Keegan Leibrock

The NEST360 initiative creates technology to reduce infant mortality.

NEWS 2/13/24 10:15pm

Rice hosts Science Olympiad Tournament

By Hope Yang

For the first time, the Rice Science Olympiad Alumni Association invited 14 middle school teams from around Houston to the Rice University Science Olympiad Regional Tournament Feb. 3. Previously open to only high school students, the team decided to include middle school teams for their second regional, according to the association’s co-director Aishani Gargapati.

NEWS 2/13/24 10:13pm

Motif Neurotech startup secures $18.75M initial funding

By Prasi Desai

Motif Neurotech, a start-up formed through the Biotech Launch Pad and founded by Rice professor Jacob Robinson, received $18.75 million from venture capital investors in Series A funding — one of the first major rounds of external funding for a start-up company. Motif was created to commercialize a pea-sized brain stimulator which was developed in Robinson’s lab at Rice to treat treatment-resistant depression.

NEWS 2/13/24 10:07pm

General Education Committee to decide fate of distributions, hosts student forum

By Ivana Hsyung

The General Education Committee hosted two undergraduate student forums Feb. 6 and 12 to discuss the future of the distribution system at Rice.

NEWS 2/13/24 10:06pm

New public menstrual dispensers launch

By Kenzie Langhorne

The Menstrual Product Accessibility Program installed 36 public menstrual product dispensers in high-traffic areas on campus. Housing and Dining and Facilities and Capital Planning have worked together to stock at least 3,600 menstrual products in dispensers across campus. According to Fidel Gonzalez, the director of custodial services at Facilities Engineering and Planning, all products will be free of charge for the Rice community.

FEATURES 2/13/24 10:04pm

V-Day dates: studying, snacking, shopping

By Amelia Davis

Whether your Screw date has miraculously lasted into the second semester or you have a self-sourced partner to keep your spirits up during the stress of midterms, you may be prepared to scroll through innumerable Yelp reviews to ferret out the perfect Valentine’s Day date spot. Have no fear — whether your dream date is classy, casual or just plain crazy, options abound from Rice Village to Montrose and everywhere in between.

FEATURES 2/13/24 10:03pm

Owls celebrate all kinds of love

By Noah Berz

If you’re like me and get most of your valentines from your mom, then you know Valentine’s Day isn’t always about romance. From anonymous singing-valentines to tacos to a match-making Crush Party, student organizations and clubs across campus are pulling out all the stops to put on a diverse array of Valentine’s Day celebrations. According to Rice PRIDE co-president Cole Holladay, that’s why the organization started Pal-Grams, valentines for loved ones of any kind.

FEATURES 2/13/24 10:00pm

‘Not too shabby’: Rice professors with high h-indices

By Hope Yang

From pioneering new technologies to designing crucial teamwork models, Rice faculty members have gained renown in their fields. Though it can be difficult to quantify a researcher’s impact on an area of study, Rice professors have some of the highest h-indices in the nation.

OPINION 2/13/24 9:58pm

Keep the Sabbath Holy

By Samuel Barton

Rice students are no strangers to burnout. Optimism at the start of a semester turns into dread as the grind wears us down and we wonder how we will fit all our weekly commitments into a mere 168 hours.

OPINION 2/13/24 9:56pm

It’s past time for Rice to increase accessibility

By Thresher Editorial Board

A recent study conducted by Bowen Cho examined top universities’ accessibility and disability infrastructure, ranking them on the basis of support, inclusion, safety and critical pedagogy, among other factors. Each university was graded — and Rice placed 35th, with a whopping F.

FEATURES 1/30/24 11:22pm

Hitting the wall: Solomon Ni on burnout, mental health and ‘kicking back’

By Sarah Knowlton

When the highlight of Solomon Ni’s week became leading the Student Association’s meetings, he knew he needed to quit.

NEWS 1/30/24 11:21pm

Rice in talks to settle financial aid ‘cartel’ lawsuit for $33 million

By Brandon Chen

Rice has set aside $33.75 million to settle a class-action antitrust lawsuit filed against 17 elite universities, according to Rice’s financial statement for last year. The settlement amount would be the highest so far in the case, which the plaintiffs colloquially call the “568 Cartel Lawsuit.”