Maria Morkas

NEWS 4/19/22 10:57pm

OAA expanding divisional advisor program amid growing class sizes

By Maria Morkas

In response to the growing class sizes, the Office of Academic Advising’s Director Christine Martinez said that it will be expanding its divisional advisor program. Each college will be adding three DAs — one in Social Sciences, another in Natural Sciences and the third in Engineering. 

NEWS 4/12/22 10:58pm

Rice adjusts policies in response to COVID surge

By Hajera Naveed and Maria Morkas

The recent rise in COVID cases on campus prompted the reinstatement of masks in classrooms, the reduction of indoor dining to half capacity and the closure of The Pub at Rice, according to an email sent by the Chair of Crisis Management Advisory Committee Kevin Kirby late last week. 

NEWS 4/5/22 11:07pm

Saudi Arabian Oil Co. joins Rice Carbon Hub research initiative

By Maria Morkas

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, also known as Aramco, recently joined Rice University’s Carbon Hub research initiative, a program that focuses on the development of sustainable uses of hydrocarbons to further the energy transition.

NEWS 3/22/22 10:46pm

Masks no longer required indoors

By Maria Morkas

Wearing a face mask is no longer required in the classroom, indoors, outdoors or anywhere on campus for fully vaccinated individuals, according to an announcement from Kevin Kirby, chair of the crisis management advisory committee, on March 13. However, instructors still retain the right to require students to wear masks while in their respective classes if they choose. 

NEWS 2/22/22 11:44pm

Tom Kolditz, founding director of Doerr Institute, to depart from Rice June 30

By Maria Morkas

Director of the Ann and John Doerr Institute, Tom Kolditz, announced his departure from Rice, effective June 30. Kolditz founded the institute in 2015 to provide a professional leader development experience for every student at Rice.

NEWS 1/25/22 11:18pm

Faculty given option to block anonymous course evaluations

By Maria Morkas

Due to concerns that pandemic-induced circumstances resulted in differences in course and instructor evaluation scores, the Office of the Provost allowed faculty to opt-out of showing their evaluations to students, according to an email sent out by the office in early August last year. In this email, the Office also wrote that the average evaluation scores were slightly better in fall 2020 and spring 2021, in comparison to previous semesters.