Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 — Houston, TX

Christina Tan


A&E 4/21/20 3:22pm

375 minutes of music that defined my 3.75 years of college

I went to my first concert in college, first semester freshman year in September 2016. My high school friend Eric Shi came with me to see James Blake downtown at the House of Blues. There, under lights filled with haze and concertgoers way older than us, we listened to Moses Sumney over the chatter of the crowd. Eventually, the lights dimmed, and Blake took the stage. When the bass hit on “Limit to Your Love,” I knew I was hooked for a lifetime. 


FEATURES 4/14/20 3:40pm

A look back into history: Rice in times of crisis

For the first time since our university’s founding in 1912, all instruction is taking place remotely and virtually. For the second time since our founding in 1916, the Thresher has stopped printing physical papers (the first break was during World War I, according to our records) and for the first time has transitioned to emailing a weekly online newsletter (which you can and should subscribe to here). And for the first time in its 64-year history, Beer Bike did not happen.


NEWS 4/7/20 7:08pm

Construction continues undeterred on campus

For the students still staying in the south colleges, one noise rises above the rest: the sounds of construction on the new Sid Richardson College building. Although most major buildings on campus have been closed, all construction projects on campus have continued due to their continued classification as “essential” under Houston’s stay-at-home order.



A&E 3/31/20 10:08pm

Missed-fits: The would-be outfits of Spring 2020

With half of the semester suddenly cut short and students now in isolation, methods of self-expression through clothing are limited to a tiny Zoom screen. We asked fashionistas and planners alike to send us their missed-fits — missed opportunities to wear an outfit this semester. All photos submitted by students and designed by Christina Tan unless otherwise noted.


NEWS 3/30/20 2:40pm

On-campus commencement postponed, online ceremony to occur

In light of ongoing COVID-19 concerns, an on campus commencement is postponed until further notice, according to an email sent by President David Leebron, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman and Interim Provost Seiichi Matsuda. There will be an online ceremony on May 16, according to Gorman, where graduates names will be read out loud. 


NEWS 3/25/20 1:28pm

Any classes this semester can be taken pass/fail, Faculty Senate decides

Undergraduate students will be able to designate all courses this semester pass/fail after the Faculty Senate approved the motion for academic relief in Spring 2020 to address the academic disruption caused by COVID-19, by a unanimous vote (28 in favor, 4 absent).  The senate also passed two other motions: the first will move the deadline to input grades for graduating students to May 15 at 5 p.m. The second states that students will not be “unduly penalized academically” if any courses in progress cannot be offered for completion due to the university’s response to the pandemic.


OPINION 3/23/20 10:22pm

From the editor’s desk: How it feels to say goodbye too early

When the inevitable news broke that classes were moving online and students had to move off campus for the rest of the semester, I started sobbing. Immediately. Through my tears, I wrote the breaking news posts on the Thresher’s social media, and then thought of previous Editor-in-Chief Andrew Grottkau’s riveting column during Hurricane Harvey. It was time for me to write a column like that one, I thought to myself, one that is inspiring and full of hope and captures the emotions of community and strength. 


NEWS 3/20/20 2:04pm

Rice approved 77 percent of petitions to stay on campus, but some students disappointed with decisions

On-campus students had less than two weeks to pack up and leave campus for the semester after being notified on March 12 that the move-out deadline would be March 25. While many students left or stayed away from campus, some students took an option provided by the Dean of Undergraduates’ office: filing petitions to stay on campus. 77 percent of petitions were approved, according to Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman, including petitions from students who later decided to leave campus.


NEWS 3/10/20 8:12pm

Beer Bike, major events canceled for semester

For the first time in its 64-year history, Beer Bike is canceled with no current plans to reschedule. As part of their response to the emerging crisis of COVID-19, Rice has prohibited all on-campus public events with more than 100 people,