VOLUME 110, ISSUE NO. 13 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2025
E. coli found in water of Lovett Hall JAMES CANCELARICH
NEWS EDITOR
E. coli was found in routine water testing at Lovett Hall, according to a Rice Alert sent out to the campus on Monday at 7:41 p.m. An exterior hose hub at Lovett Hall was the source of the contamination, according to Rice Emergency Management. A boil water notice was issued. Students were instructed not to drink water from campus sources and not to use unboiled water for brushing teeth, making ice, or preparing food or baby formula. According to the alert, tap water is safe to use for handwashing and bathing and toilets remain functional. Bottled water was distributed to residential colleges shortly after the notice went out with instructions for students to take two to four bottles, depending on their college. Seyaul Kim, a Brown College senior, said he was worried about the timing of the notice. “My main concern is the fact that we have finals soon,” Kim said. “I hope I don’t get E. coli for finals. E. coli is a type of bacteria, according to the Center for Disease Control. While many forms of E. coli are harmless and naturally occur in people, certain forms of the bacteria can make people sick.
In milder cases, it can lead to diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, sepsis and other illnesses. Certain types of E. coli can lead to more serious complications, which can cause kidney failure, permanent health problems and death. When E. coli enters water sources, it is often from animal or human fecal matter, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. “E. coli can enter a water system through infrastructure issues, stormwater intrusion or equipment failure, or it can occur through sampling contamination,” Elmer Whitehead, assistant vice president of facilities, engineering and operations, wrote in an email to the Thresher. “It is used as an indicator that other organisms could be present, which is why issuing a boil water notice is the standard safety protocol.” According to Whitehead, there have been no reported cases of E. coli at Rice connected to the water contamination. On Tuesday at 4:48 p.m., Rice Emergency Management released an update that additional testing was being conducted around campus. With help from H-E-B, more water will be distributed around campus Wednesday, according to the email.
SEE E.COLI PAGE 2
BRANDON NGUYEN / THRESHER Max Phillips grabs a bottle of water in Duncan College Commons. Students were provided with bottled water after E. coli was found in the water at Lovett Hall.
Two students robbed at gunpoint in parking lot ABIGAIL CHIU
SENIOR WRITER
Two Rice students were robbed at gunpoint by three unidentified suspects, according to a campuswide emergency notification that went out at 9:37 p.m. Sunday. The Rice University Police Department responded to a call at 8:19 p.m. that night about the robbery in West Lot 2, between Rice Stadium and the intramural fields. The students were not injured in the robbery. “The three suspects ran off on foot towards the area of Rice Blvd and Rice University Entrance #17 and have not been apprehended,” the email read. “All three suspects were described as males in their 20’s with slim athletic builds. One suspect was wearing a gray beanie, with a green top and gray pajama pants.” Chief of Police Clemente Rodriguez said RUPD is actively investigating the robbery. “The safety of our campus community is our top priority,” Rodriguez wrote in an email to the Thresher. “In addition to utilizing all our resources to conduct this investigation, we have also notified our law enforcement partners in the area in case they encounter any individuals matching the description of our suspects.”
JESSICA XU / THRESHER Students expressed shock about the crime on campus. Baker College freshman Ersel Serdar said he was surprised at the
intensity of the robbery. “When it said a robbery, at first I thought it meant, oh, someone stole a bike
or something, and then, ‘at gunpoint.’ It took a second to process that,” Serdar said. “That’s not something I considered being a possibility.” Baker College freshman Estevan Ortegon said the incident made him concerned about campus safety. “I didn’t expect that to happen on campus. The same day the robbery happened, that was the first day I’ve ever brought my car to campus, and I parked it literally at the edge,” Ortegon said. “I was thinking, oh, should I have moved it somewhere else? So I got a little bit more concerned about the safety of it.” Martel sophomore Anika Gupta said she had just returned from Thanksgiving break and was intending to walk to Rice Village for food when she received the notification. “I was so hungry because I had just gotten home from the airport, and I open my phone and there’s a robbery,” Gupta said. “I no longer want to walk to West Lot alone.” RUPD is reviewing all current video camera footage from the area, according to the notification. “RUPD advises the community to be alert, especially at night and to avoid walking alone in isolated areas and to always report suspicious activity to RUPD,” the notification reads.