Viola Hsia

NEWS 11/30/21 11:17pm

Rice mandates COVID vaccine for all employees

By Viola Hsia

Rice announced that all faculty and staff are now required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, in an email sent on Nov. 19 by Kevin Kirby, chair of the Crisis Management Advisory Committee. According to the policy’s document, the new vaccination policy comes after President Biden issued Executive Order 14042, which mandates that all federal contractors require their employees or anyone connected with a federal contract to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4, 2022, unless granted a medical or religious exemption. 

NEWS 11/16/21 11:04pm

REFS held on Nov. 12 to discuss financing energy transition

By Viola Hsia

The 13th annual Rice Energy and Finance Summit was held at McNair Hall in the Jones Graduate School of Business on Friday, Nov. 12. The goal of the event was to discuss how to finance the transition to renewable energy resources, according to the school’s website and event information.

NEWS 11/2/21 11:44pm

Students, faculty reflect on CDOD course after two weeks

By Viola Hsia

For the past two weeks, new students have been participating in a new course known as Critical Dialogues on Diversity, discussing critical approaches to culture, identity and dialogue. The new course follows a pilot session that was taught in the spring by Associate Dean Catherine Clack and Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alexander Byrd, which was attended by a small group of students, who elected to take the course. Byrd said that this was one of the things to consider when they were transitioning from the pilot course to offering the class as a required course for all freshmen.

NEWS 10/19/21 10:08pm

Vice Provost for Research stepping down after seven years

By Viola Hsia

Yousif Shamoo announced that he is stepping down as Rice University’s vice provost for research after seven years in the position. Shamoo’s transition will go into effect January 2022, according to an announcement from Provost Reginald DesRoches. 

NEWS 10/13/21 1:30am

Critical Dialogues on Diversity workshop now required for Class of 2025

By Viola Hsia

All Rice new students are now required to take a new workshop, Critical Dialogues on Diversity. The CDOD course, UNIV 195, will be a five-week, discussion-based workshop that will explore critical approaches to culture, identity and dialogue, according to an email sent to new students by Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alexander Byrd on Oct. 5.

NEWS 9/28/21 10:13pm

Annual global climate strike occurs Sept. 24, with low Houston turnout

By Viola Hsia

Sept. 24 marked climate marches that occurred across the country, including one scheduled to occur in Houston. Rice Climate Alliance, a club dedicated to advocating for and educating students on the current climate crisis, did not attend due to the Houston march’s poor organization, according to Clara Ursic, the Rice Climate Alliance treasurer.

NEWS 9/21/21 10:59pm

Mech lab renovated into Maxfield Hall for STATS department

By Viola Hsia

Maxfield Hall held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 13, following renovations beginning in fall of 2020 to convert the previous Mechanical Laboratory into a concentrated space for the statistics department. Its renovation was previously scheduled to be completed by May of this year.