Shruti Patankar

FEATURES 3/26/24 10:55pm

Magisterial matters: a look back at renaming

By Shruti Patankar and Emelia Gauch

From wearing jackets that advertise their colleges to disciplining students when their checks bounced, magisters have had a myriad of responsibilities throughout the years. The 2017 change of their title from masters to magisters reflected a debate about whether their once-title, reminiscent of slavery’s use of the term master, correctly captured the essence of those responsibilities. 

FEATURES 3/19/24 10:19pm

Rice business clubs bring in the big bucks

By Shruti Patankar

Energized by Apple Stocks notifications and armed with Audrey’s lattes, teams of Rice students are recreating Shark Tank here on campus. The rapidly growing business major’s popularity has made way for investing clubs with hundreds of thousands of dollars of funding. 

FEATURES 2/20/24 9:54pm

Nancy Niedzielski shares her love for Lovett

By Shruti Patankar

While most universities have student resident assistants overseeing housing, Rice’s culture is defined by its rare residential college system, which features adult magisters and resident advisors. Lovett College’s current magisters, Mike Gustin and Denise Klein, are finishing their last year in the role.

FEATURES 1/30/24 10:20pm

Get fired up for the Year of the Dragon

By Shruti Patankar

With Lunar New Year approaching on Feb. 10, there are plenty of events happening both on and off campus. The 15 days following the new moon will be filled with delicious food, intricate lion dances, firework shows and gift-giving in auspicious red envelopes. Get ready to welcome the Year of the Dragon in style. 

FEATURES 1/9/24 11:20pm

Owls’ Saturday night flights

By Shruti Patankar

With public parties being shut down, Rice’s party culture is in its Prohibition era until spring break. Here are some ideas on how to spend your public-less Saturday nights in the spring semester. 

FEATURES 11/7/23 11:02pm

Robert Englebretson pushes his comfort zone

By Shruti Patankar

Aunt or ah-nt, caramel or karr-mul, pecan or puh-kahn: These are debates that are essential to the American dinner table, dorm floor and lunch break conversations. Associate linguistics professor Robert Englebretson has built a career from these curiosities, seeking to understand what drives people to communicate the way that they do. 

FEATURES 10/17/23 11:40pm

Students show their appreciation for H&D

By Shruti Patankar

When most of campus is in bed, recovering from Pub or a late night studying at Fondren, Sandra Salgado is preparing to leave her house at 4:15 a.m. Salgado, a cashier at North Servery, starts her shift at 5:30 a.m. and works six days per week. She was previously employed at a nearby warehouse and would visit campus during her breaks.