Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Saturday, April 20, 2024 — Houston, TX

Special Projects




SPORTS 3/5/24 10:33pm

WBB loss to UNT sets up six-way tie in AAC

Women’s basketball fell to the University of North Texas 63-54 on Saturday, bringing their losing streak to four, their longest of the season, and dropping them to a six-way tie for fourth place in the American Athletic Conference standings only a few days away from the conference tournament. 


SPORTS 3/5/24 10:32pm

Men’s, women’s tennis go undefeated this week

The men’s and women’s tennis squads each played one match this past weekend and both came away with wins. The women competed against No. 69 University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Las Vegas on March 1, while the men took on the United States Air Force Academy at home on March 2.


A&E 3/5/24 10:23pm

A&E predicts the 2024 Academy Awards

It’s March already, meaning it is time to examine the Academy Awards, an event sure to be full of awkward moments, baffling losses and confounding decisions, once again hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for some reason. However, the 96th Academy Awards Ceremony has something special going for it — this past year was an excellent one for film. It will be difficult in many categories for the Academy to make a bad choice, though there certainly are some categories the Thresher A&E section feels strongly about. Here are our picks for who will win at the 96th Annual Oscars and who actually deserves it.



A&E 3/5/24 10:16pm

Review: ‘Dune: Part Two’ is a visual and narrative spectacle

There have been a number of attempts to do justice to Frank Herbert’s massively influential novel, “Dune,” over the years. The most famous of these attempts include a David Lynch adaptation, notably edited in post to the point where the director himself allegedly asked for his name to be removed from the final product, and an attempt by director Alejandro Jodorowsky to make an over 10-hour version in the ’70s. Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two” finally succeed in conveying the vastness and wonder of Arrakis by giving one of cinema’s modern auteurs control over a property that he had already designed storyboards for as a teenager.



A&E 3/5/24 10:12pm

Saddle up for the Houston Rodeo

Grab your cowboy boots and saddle up — the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is back for 20 days of action. From Feb. 27 to March 17, the rodeo will transform NRG Park into a yee hawin’ haven of competition, food and music. All it takes is a short ride on the Metro to pop that Rice bubble and experience what Houston has to offer. 




FEATURES 3/5/24 10:07pm

AI in the archives: Fondren Library explores new tech

From Grammarly and Quizlet to SparkNotes and Spotify, artificial intelligence is now a major feature of nearly every website — and the archives of Fondren Library are no exception. The use of AI has been a notoriously hot-button topic for the last few years, involved in artist exploitation debates and the terms of the Writers Guild of America strike, but in the Woodson Research Center, its role has been to facilitate greater ease and expediency in many of their preservation and transcription processes. 


FEATURES 3/5/24 10:07pm

Isabella Avilez pieces together a puzzling world

Isabella Avilez is a problem solver. As co-president of Rice Escape, she got the club back on its feet after it was felled by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a mechanical engineering major with a passion for renewable energy, she attempts to find ways to power the world’s technologies while leaving space for a sustainable future. And as a friend, she’s an expert at turning a rough week into a pleasant smile.




NEWS 3/5/24 9:53pm

Fette knighted by French education ministry

Julie Fette, an associate professor of French Studies, was named a chevalier in the Ordre des Palmes académiques, the Order of the French Academic Palms, by the French Ministry of National Education on Bastille Day, a French national holiday, July 14, 2023. 




FEATURES 2/28/24 7:27pm

Melinda Spaulding Chevalier chases new storms

Melinda Spaulding Chevalier, Rice’s vice president for public affairs since August 2023, is more familiar with being the reporter than the story. Before working in communications, public affairs and higher education, she spent decades in journalism and was recognized by organizations like the Associated Press and the Emmy Awards.