Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 — Houston, TX

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A&E 3/25/25 10:33pm

Playboi Carti’s “MUSIC” is a whole lotta meh

By Arman Saxena

After nearly five years of canceled release dates, cryptic livestreams and scattered singles that never quite materialized into anything more than music videos, Playboi Carti’s “MUSIC” is finally here. The album, stuffed to the brim with 30 tracks, is both proof of Carti’s magnetic presence and a stark reminder that bigger is not always better. 

A&E 3/25/25 10:30pm

Review: “Mickey 17” is refreshing science fiction fun

By Jay Collura

I can’t think of a harder task than following up the Best Picture-winning “Parasite.” South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s masterpiece is one of the most beloved films of the 21st century, especially amongst Gen-Z filmgoers (myself very much included). In a year with many great films, “Parasite” stood head and shoulders above the rest, and whispers immediately started about Bong’s next project.

A&E 3/25/25 10:24pm

Review: The Sleeping Beauty Keeps You Awake

By Sara Davidson

The Houston Ballet just finished their performances of “The Sleeping Beauty,” a ballet based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. This classic piece ran for just over two weeks and included several performances with discounted tickets for students, both through the ballets “Student Rush” and “$30 under 30” deals. 

A&E 3/25/25 10:19pm

Music, community to collide at ktru’s annual Outdoor Show

By Charlie Cruz

ktru’s 33rd annual musical festival, “Outdoor Show,” will take over the Central Quad on Saturday for a day of music, art and community. Organized by Rice’s student-run radio station, the event will feature local vendors, craft stations, student DJs and eight musical acts — concluding with indie-pop headliner band Laundry Day.

FEATURES 3/25/25 10:13pm

Rice startups talk tech challenges, time concerns

By Noa Berz

It seems like everyone at Rice is creating an app these days. Some might remember Bonfire and Diagnos, or perhaps the more recent Nudge, but with many of these services now off the app store, one has to ask — Is Rice really an ideal environment for student-led startups? 

FEATURES 3/25/25 10:08pm

Lecturer Oz Ocampo talks sports scouting, leadership

By Will Patel

Before he scouted future All-Star pitchers internationally, Oz Ocampo was a college student studying abroad, searching for his career path. While in Buenos Aires, he watched the Superclásico, a fierce rivalry match between Argentina’s top soccer clubs. After Boca Juniors, his newly adopted team, won, he realized he wanted to work in baseball.

FEATURES 3/25/25 10:06pm

Elisa Gabbert on writing through disaster

By Chi Pham

Memory deceives. Perception distorts. For Elisa Gabbert ’02, the ubiquitous condition of our times is ‘unreality’ — modern society’s tendency to process catastrophe as media spectacle and bury anxieties beneath routine. In her 2020 essay collection “The Unreality of Memory,” she dissects why tragedy leaves us scrolling, watching and forgetting.

OPINION 3/25/25 10:00pm

Learning how to say goodbye

By Riya Misra

For weeks, I’ve been staring at this blank document, unsure what to write. How do you say goodbye to the most formative job of your (young) life? For two years, I’ve spent my Mondays and Tuesdays — sometimes Wednesdays, often Thursdays, more Sundays than I’d like to admit — shuttered away in my obnoxiously warm, tiny newsroom. 

OPINION 3/25/25 9:59pm

Mid-season baseball coach shakeup is bold

By Thresher Editorial Board

Rice Athletics turned heads this week by firing head baseball coach José Cruz Jr. just a few days before conference play — and after a 10-game losing streak. He was swiftly replaced by David Pierce, a veteran of our 2003 national title run under coach Wayne Graham. 

NEWS 3/25/25 9:53pm

Measles vaccine clinic held amid outbreak

By Sanjana Ramineni

Rice held a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine clinic March 20 in response to the growing measles outbreak in Texas. The clinic was a partnership between Rice Emergency Management and Albertsons/Randalls that sought to provide additional protection to faculty, staff and students who may not be fully vaccinated.

NEWS 3/25/25 9:51pm

‘Force of nature’ Richard Brown remembered

By Prasi Desai

Richard Brown, a founding faculty member of the Shepherd School’s percussion department, passed away March 14. Outside of being an educator, Brown was a Rice professor for over 40 years as well as a professional musician and entrepreneur. 

SPORTS 3/17/25 6:40pm

Rice baseball veteran David Pierce hired as head coach

By Riya Misra

David Pierce, assistant baseball coach at Texas State University, will take over as Rice’s new head coach this week, just days after former coach José Cruz Jr. was fired. This is a homecoming for Pierce, who worked at Rice from 2003 to 2011 under the late Wayne Graham. In 2003, Pierce helped Graham lead the team to their first and only national title.

SPORTS 3/13/25 6:28pm

Rice fires baseball head coach José Cruz Jr.

By Kathleen Ortiz

Rice Athletics fired baseball head coach José Cruz Jr. on March 13, less than a month into the season. The baseball team is 2-14 and on a 10-game losing streak, losing three games to Yale over the weekend and Texas A&M - Corpus Christi on Monday. 

SPORTS 3/13/25 12:47am

WBB fall to USF in the AAC Championship Final

By Diego Palos Rodriguez

Despite making it to the AAC Championship final for the second year in a row, the Rice women’s basketball team was unable to capture their second-straight title, losing to the University of South Florida 69-62. This was also the second year in a row that the Owls started the tournament in the second round, being ranked tenth and ninth in the conference, respectively.

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