Special Projects

Leebron lives up sabbatical year

After 18 years as the president of Rice, David Leebron has been spreading his wings. During what he refers to as his sabbatical year, emphasizing that he is too young to be retired, his pastimes have included skiing and attending musicals. He also spends his time listening to Aretha Franklin and Bob Marley.

The Backies 2023

Four Rice undergraduates awarded Goldwater scholarship

Rice undergraduates Maria Hancu, Alex Lin, Ruofeng Liu and Ryan Wang were recipients of the Goldwater scholarship this year. The Goldwater scholarship, founded on Nov. 14, 1986 in honor of former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, is awarded to undergraduates pursuing careers in engineering, math and science. Liu did not respond to requests for an interview.

Rice student struck by car on inner loop, taken to trauma center

A Rice student was struck by a moving car as they attempted to cross the inner loop near Baker College at around 1:15 a.m on Saturday, April 15. The student was transported to a trauma center in the Texas Medical Center, and their condition is currently unknown. Out of respect for the student and their family, the Thresher is not releasing their name at this time. 

CIA Director Bill Burns visits Baker Institute

The Baker Institute hosted US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns to discuss his career in government, pressing foreign policy issues and the importance of public service as a part of the Shell Distinguished Lecture series on April 11. Following a lecture-style presentation, Baker Institute Director David Satterfield presented a few questions.

Steven Murdock, former chair of sociology department, passes at 75

Steven Murdock, founding Director of the Hobby Center who served as the Allyn and Gladys Cline Chair in Sociology at Rice University, passed away on April 7 at the age of 75.

Baker Institute’s ‘Israel at 75’ conference sparks controversy

The Baker Institute for Public Policy will host an ‘Israel at 75’ conference on April 27, featuring diplomats, subject-matter experts and stakeholders to analyze the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, among other topics. In response, the Rice Students for Justice Palestine group began a petition calling for cancellation of the event. 

Honor Council limits use of ChatGPT

The Honor Council sent an email to all undergraduates on April 11, announcing an Honor Code amendment explicitly prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence software such as ChatGPT without proper citation. Additionally, the email clarified professors’ right to ban the use of AI software for their classes.

Thank you for letting me tell your stories

If there is anything I will miss about college, it is the Thresher.  No matter how many long nights or years of my life I have given to this paper, I have never grown tired of the Thresher. Maybe because of a superb staff that impresses me every day with their talent and dedication to good journalism or the unwavering support and friendship (and fist bumps) from my co-editor Ben Baker-Katz, but, I think most of all, it is the work I was able to do here. 

Thresher holds the memories of a campus

For the last two years, whenever someone has tried to make plans with me on a Tuesday, I’ve responded with some version of “I can’t, I’ve got Thresher.” The natural next question, after I explain that putting together a weekly paper takes up the vast majority of every Tuesday, is “Why do you spend so much time on it?” And silly as it may seem, I’ve never really come up with a good answer to that question.

Upholding free speech is a balancing act

When I came into this job, the Thresher was learning how to do journalism in a pandemic. We couldn’t anticipate how the paper would look like if and when we returned to “normal.” The once-jam-packed opinion spread had been reduced to a single page that wasn’t always filled. As engagement with and trust of the opinion section has ebbed and flowed in the three years since then, one thing has remained constant: to uplift diverse voices and start important discussions on campus, we have to wield the platform carefully.

The Editorial Board presents: The editorials we never wrote

For our final editorial of the year, we decided to do a brief recap of some of the editorials we never had a chance to write. Some are very serious, some are only mildly serious — and we leave it up to y’all to figure out which are which.

Rice must expand resources for student performance groups

When prospective students apply to Rice, they undoubtedly value the academic rigor and research opportunities the university provides. However, many students ultimately choose Rice based on the assurance of a vibrant community and campus culture, where they can also pursue hobbies and interests outside of their university curriculum. As someone with a lifelong passion for dance, Rice Dance Theatre has filled this niche for me, allowing me to continue my dance education and nurture my artistic creativity as a member, leader, and now as outgoing president. This is true not only for me: RDT receives emails and direct messages from prospective students saying their college decision rests on available options to continue performing and learning dance. Unfortunately, growing constraints in space and resources have led RDT and other student performance groups to grapple among themselves for what Rice has available. Rice must increase the accessibility of practice and performance space and funding opportunities for all student performance groups that draw enthusiastic student interest on campus.

Rice needs to improve awareness of preventive gynecological care

Almost one year ago, the news that Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court shocked all of us. The ruling ended a 50-year precedent that federally guaranteed the right to abortion care, allowing the state of Texas to criminalize abortion. Fortunately, Rice administration and student leaders quickly responded to the Texas abortion ban by raising awareness about safe sex, increasing access to contraceptives and more. These efforts are undoubtedly critical to the wellbeing of our campus, but there is another key area of reproductive health for those with a uterus that has gone unaddressed. 

‘Israel at 75’ presents a unique opportunity

The initiative to reject Rice University’s Israel at 75 conference is rooted in hatred and performative anger. The Israeli occupation of Palestine is an issue that has plagued many for decades — people have lost their homes, friends, families and lives. This issue is nuanced and convoluted beyond most Rice students’ comprehension, including our own. The Baker Institute is not attempting to diminish these issues or glorify Israel’s actions over the past 75 years. By hosting this conference, it is simply acknowledging that this conflict continues to be one of the defining dilemmas of our time, and one that deserves attention, especially at a center of education such as Rice University. 

Baker Institute must cancel ‘Israel at 75’ conference

This year marks the 75th year since the horrific events of the Nakba began. Al-Nakba, an Arabic phrase meaning ‘The Catastrophe,’ refers to Israel’s ethnic cleansing and violent dispossession of the Palestinian people and the establishment of the Zionist settler-colony. Between 1947 and 1949, 15,000 Palestinians were killed and over 750,000 were forcefully displaced by Zionist military forces to create the state of Israel. These events, cumulatively with the current violence perpetrated by the Zionist entity, have been characterized as genocide by Palestinian organizers, journalists, and activists working towards the liberation of their people from colonial rule.   

Rectify Beer Bike results, or do away with them

In Beer Bike 2021, when there were four heats of three teams each, the Jones College men’s bike team finished with the fastest time of all the residential colleges, a net time that was at least three seconds faster than the Hanszen College men’s team–which was affirmed by the original results produced by the Rice Program Council, the entity that organizes Beer Bike – earning Jones men the uncontested first place finish they deserved. 

Final Beer Bike 2023 results: Penalties affect women’s, alumni races

Rice Program Council announced the corrected, final Beer Bike times and results following several appeals for the women’s and alumni races. No adjustments were made to the men’s race.

04-12-2023 Crossword: "bad and boujee"

First-ever Moody X-Fest follows Moody Foundation gift

Rice’s first-ever Moody X-Fest took place on April 7, featuring a GROUPLOVE concert, student performances, brief keynote speakers, complimentary food vendors and Moody Experience-branded merchandise.