Special Projects

Owls horned down by Texas, lose 37-10 in season opener

Rice football led the University of Texas Longhorns for exactly 2 minutes and 40 seconds on Saturday when the teams met for the 97th time. Being ahead may have been unfamiliar, but the final result was not — Rice lost to Texas again, this time by a score of 37-10, for the Owls’ 75th loss against the Longhorns.

A despondent fan’s guide to Rice football

On Sept. 2, the Owls played their first football game as members of the American Athletic Conference. They lost to their 109-year rivals the University of Texas at Austin, just like they have in every meeting but two since 1963. In that time, much has changed about how those teams relate to each other: Texas is in a “power five” conference, and Rice is not; Texas has won four national championships, and Rice has won none. The Owls have gone from playing the Longhorns in a mid-October rivalry match to being a season-opening tune-up game. 

Faculty and students continue adapting to endemic COVID-19

The first two weeks of classes have seen a rise in COVID-19 cases among the campus community. The number of positive cases is unknown as Rice stopped collecting data and phased out Crisis Management’s COVID resources.

Flu shot mandated for fourth year, Oct. 27 deadline

Students are required to have their seasonal flu vaccination prior to the start of spring class registration, Oct. 27. To facilitate this process, the university is holding vaccine clinics Sept. 14, 19, 27 and Oct. 5, according to a campus-wide email sent by Student Health Services Aug. 28.

Baker Christmas to become college-only

Baker Christmas, formerly a campus-wide public party, will now be Baker-only, according to Baker College President Jonah Wagner. A new Baker public is being planned for the spring semester.

Mikki Hebl receives Women in Leadership award

Michelle “Mikki” Hebl was awarded the Advancing Women in Leadership award by the diversity, equity and inclusion division of the Academy of Management, acknowledging her contributions to education to help the development of women in leadership. Hebl is the Martha and Henry Malcolm Lovett Chair of Psychology and a professor of management at the Jones Graduate School of Business.

Graduate students discuss frustration with new dining plan

Housing and Dining launched new dining plan options for graduate students this year, accommodating 300 graduate students during the 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 pm lunch period and 600 graduate students during the 2 pm to 4 p.m. “munch” period.

Rice needs a competitive season opener, not a blowout

Rice football kicked off its season with yet another rout at the hands of the University of Texas Longhorns, losing 37-10. At least it wasn’t 58-0.

Rice Coffeehouse temporarily closes due to campus COVID cases

Rice Coffeehouse is closed Aug. 31 through Sept. 4 due to an increase in COVID-19 cases on campus. This is two days earlier than planned for the Labor Day holiday, according to General Manager Caroline Leung.

08-30-23 Cross Word Solution

08-30-23 Crossword: "How Do You Like Your Eggs?"

Kevin Kirby: “I’m Back”

Volleyball head coach Genny Volpe discusses family, journey to Rice

After 20 years at Rice, Genny Volpe seems to have her routine down to a science. Her day begins with a large coffee, a workout or some emails and then the inevitable commute to downtown Houston.

Challenging roads: Soccer evens record after lackluster start

The Owls won both of their games this past week to bounce back after two straight defeats to open their season. After a 6-0 loss against No. 9 Texas in Austin, the Owls returned to Houston to play at Texas Southern University on Friday, Aug. 25 hoping to turn their luck around for their first win of the season. 

Bring out the brooms: Rice sweeps No. 22 USC, jumps to No. 18

Sophomore setter Darby Harris celebrates winning a point. The Rice Owls swept the University of Southern California, ranked No. 22 in the nation, Saturday night. 

Soccer shoots for successful AAC season debut

As Rice looks to soar to new heights with its introduction to the American Athletic Conference, the Rice soccer team has spent its offseason preparing for a season filled with unfamiliar beginnings.

WEEKLY SCENES AND SCREENS: August 30th, 2023

WEEKLY SCREENS AND SCREENS

Review: ‘Unreal Unearth’ takes us through hell and back again

Four years after “Wasteland, Baby!” Hozier has returned to the studio to release his third full-length album titled “Unreal Unearth.” Topping charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom, “Unreal Unearth” has become the Irish artist’s first number one album. Though sometimes meandering and honestly a little long, Hozier’s “Unreal Unearth” is a cathartic journey through the nine circles of hell and back again. 

Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist drop one of the best rap albums of 2023

It wouldn’t be surprising to see someone shocked that Earl Sweatshirt dropped a new project. He didn’t post it on his Instagram. It isn’t on Spotify or Apple Music, and the famously reclusive former Odd Future star hasn’t promoted it. You can only find the surprise drop, “Voir Dire,” on Gala Music, a free NFT-backed music streaming service. 

Review: ‘Gran Turismo’ misses the podium

If there’s one thing the movie “Gran Turismo” wants you to know, it’s that the plot is based on real-life events. In fact, when I purchased the ticket for the review, it wasn’t for “Gran Turismo,” but rather “Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story,” just in case general audiences somehow missed this point. This overbearing marketing, unsurprisingly, is wholly accurate — the film is obsessed with depicting the events as they occurred in reality. When it works, the film captures the very real exhilaration of motorsport, but at its worst, it’s the cinematic equivalent of reading a skimpy Wikipedia article.