VOLUME 109, ISSUE NO. 21 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2025
2025 STUDENT ASSOCIATION ELECTION RESULTS PRESIDENT
SA convenes for changeover
% vote:
TREVOR TOBEY
74.7%
Hanszen College junior, former SA Parliamentarian WRITE-IN CALLUM FLEMISTER
17.4%
SA EXECUTIVE ELECTIONS INTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT
SOHANI SANDHU
ANANYA A. NAIR
EXTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT
MAHTAB DASTUR
TREASURER
N/A
52.9% 42%
% vote:
91.7% % vote:
JACKSON DARR
SECRETARY
% vote:
92.8% *SA SECRETARY WILL BE FILLED IN SPECIAL ELECTION, TO BE ANNOUNCED
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS AMENDMENT 1
% vote for Yes
92.8%
19% Turnout
% vote for No
AMENDMENT 2
% vote for Yes
*DID NOT PASS DUE TO TURNOUT
7.2%
76.4%
16.9% Turnout
% vote for No
AMENDMENT 3
% vote for Yes
*DID NOT PASS DUE TO TURNOUT
16.7% Turnout
*DID NOT PASS DUE TO TURNOUT
AMENDMENT 4
23.6% 75.6%
% vote for No
24.4%
% vote for Yes
86.7%
15.9% Turnout
% vote for No
AMENDMENT 5
% vote for Yes
*DID NOT PASS DUE TO TURNOUT
17.3% Turnout
*DID NOT PASS DUE TO TURNOUT
13.3%
74.8%
% vote for No
25.2%
SINCE VOTER TURNOUT FOR EACH AMENDMENT DID NOT REACH THE MINIMUM 20% THRESHOLD TO PASS, NONE OF THE AMENDMENTS — DESPITE THEIR PERCENTAGE OF APPROVAL VOTES — PASSED.
ALICE SUN / THRESHER DATA FROM THE SA DIRECTOR OF ELECTIONS
set by this year’s SA, including passing its first referendum, and increasing the ASST. NEWS EDITOR number of town halls and social media The Student Association gathered engagement. “We boosted engagement with the for leadership changeover March 10 following the results of the 2025 student body by hosting five town election. The SA welcomed new elected halls, and we grew the SA Instagram by 900 followers, officials, approved and we ran the the Spring 2025 first campusInitiative Fund wide political for new clubs and I feel like SA has power referendum in announced open recent history,” applications for over everything and Kim said. SA appointed nothing, so we can S e v e r a l p o s i t i o n s , advocate and speak on initiatives are which include anything, but we don’t still in the parliam e ntarian works, including and director of have executive power over a proposition elections. anything that goes on in to have an Outgoing SA [Rice]. I really feel like we undergraduate President Jae Kim student take part summarized the tried our best this year to SA’s achievements leverage the resources that in the Board of Trustees. in the past year, we have, both financial Kim said the including a record and nonfinancial. new SA will also 30,000 meal advocate for the swipes donated Jae Kim new residential through the FORMER SA PRESIDENT college to be guest meal swipe program, expanding dining services named after a person of color and for to 9 p.m. and bringing back breakfast a revision of the restrictions on protest and poster display. service in all serveries. “I feel like SA has power over Kim also highlighted more recent developments such as increasing the everything and nothing, so we can minimum wage for undergraduate advocate and speak on anything, but students to $10 an hour, creating a we don’t have executive power over fund for community service initiatives anything that goes on in [Rice],” Kim beginning next year and obtaining a said. “I really feel like we tried our 10% discount on monthly items in the best this year to leverage the resources that we have, both financial and campus bookstore for undergraduates. Kim also discussed new precedents nonfinancial.”
HOPE YANG
SEE PAGE 2 FOR THE STORY
Amid West Texas measles outbreak, Rice to host vaccination clinic JAMES CANCELARICH
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Rice will hold a clinic to give the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination March 20 in the Cambridge Office Building. The decision comes after over 233 cases, 29 hospitalizations and two deaths were reported by the Texas Department of State Health Services, as of March 11. The cases are mostly confined to rural West Texas and New Mexico, with the majority affecting unvaccinated individuals. In late January, two cases of measles were confirmed in Houston, the city’s first since 2023. Both were linked to international travel.
SEE MEASLES PAGE 2
According to the Centers for Disease Control, measles is a highly contagious airborne virus that spreads when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Unvaccinated people and young children are at the highest risk of contracting and dying from the virus. The disease was considered eradicated in the United States in 2000, but is common in other parts of the world. The vaccination clinic will be held over spring break, when many students will be away from campus. Chris Stipes, a university spokesperson, said that the clinic is largely targeted towards faculty and staff who have not received the most effective two-dose MMR vaccine.