VOLUME 110, ISSUE NO. 12 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2025
RUPD to strictly enforce scooter rules ABIGAIL CHIU
SENIOR WRITER
ARMAN SAXENA / THRESHER A student rides a scooter on campus. Rice University Police Department will be strictly enforcing their transportation policy, which prohibits scooters on sidewalks, in January.
The Rice University Police Department will begin a stricter enforcement of scooter and bicycle policy in January, according to a campuswide email sent by RUPD. Under the policy, motorized microtransportation vehicles like scooters are only allowed on roadways, not sidewalks. Bicycles, scooters or skateboards must also yield to pedestrians and travel in the direction of traffic. In January, students violating the policy will be given a warning for their first offense, given a ticket for their second offense and referred to Student Judicial Programs for their third offense. Clemente Rodriguez, chief of police, confirmed there have been an increase in scooter-related accidents. Prior to the announcement of this new education campaign, RUPD officers had the discretion to issue warnings or citations — depending on the situation — for enforcement actions, Rodriguez said. RUPD would also conduct proactive enforcement in locations that received a
large volume of complaints. “The reason for this new safety initiative regarding micro transportation stems from an increase in feedback concerning safety on campus,” Rodriguez wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Several members of the community have reported nearly being struck by various micro-transportation vehicles, with most complaints involving motorized scooters.” Student Judicial Programs declined to comment. Rice Emergency Medical Services did not respond to requests for comment. Rodriguez said any changes to how scooters are managed on campus will largely depend on the success of the current campaign. “If we see a meaningful reduction in policy violations and strong compliance from our community, we anticipate that the existing approach will remain effective,” Rodriguez wrote. “Our goal is for all community members to do their part in maintaining a safe and accessible campus environment, thereby eliminating the need for significant policy changes.”
Fondren Library to stay open 24/7 during final exams HOPE YANG
ASST. NEWS EDITOR Fondren Library will open its doors to students 24/7 in a pilot program running from Dec. 5 to Dec. 16, two years after it was initially proposed. The 12-day “Night Owls” program was launched by the Student Association in collaboration with Fondren, splitting the $3,700 cost 50-50. Prior to the pandemic, Fondren’s operations spanned all hours of the day, five days a week, Director of Access Services Susan Garrison wrote in an email to the Thresher. In 2023, former SA President Jae Kim pitched the idea of expanding hours again. This January, Kim proposed a pilot program which was not approved due to funding constraints, Garrison said.
During elections this spring, SA President Trevor Tobey campaigned onon the promise of 24-hour Fondren operations, which he had worked with Kim to support. With the pilot program, the SA aims to create a safe and focused space for students to study, SA Secretary Cedric Lau wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Our goal is to ensure that students have access to a quiet, academic environment outside of residential areas during exam season,” Lau wrote. The SA is covering costs for the current program using the Initiative Fund, Lau said, something he hopes will not have to occur again in the future.
SEE 24-HOUR FONDREN PAGE 4
MUSUB AHMAD / THRESHER Students study in Fondren Library. After a Student Association initiative, the library will be open 24/7 during the final exam period.
Students apply to transfer to Chao College, seeking community EMILY NGUYEN
ASST. FEATURES EDITOR
WHAT’S INSIDE
When McMurtry College sophomore Abbie Wang learned she would be required to move off campus next year, she said she started to reconsider her place at her residential college. “It wasn’t really, like, I hated this about Murt,” Wang said. “It was really just that they’re kicking me off [campus], and I don’t know where to live.” As she debated what to do next, the announcement of transfer applications for Chao College offered an unexpected alternative. Wang eventually applied to
transfer and was selected as one of Chao’s inaugural Orientation Week coordinators. She said leaving McMurtry comes with mixed feelings but not burned bridges. “We all joke like, ‘Oh my god, you’re a traitor,’ but I have friends from all the different colleges and while the colleges have beef, it’s not like we actually have beef,” Wang said. “So even if I am transferring, I think I’ll still stay really close friends with everyone here and it’ll be okay.” For many students, the decision to apply to Chao has been shaped by housing policies, personality fit or a desire for a more supportive community. McMurtry freshman Shaylla Wilson
said her interest in Chao began almost immediately during O-Week, when one of her O-Week parents introduced Chao’s mission and values. “One of my O-Week dads, he’s one of the founding members of Chao,” Wilson said. “He talked to us about it, and then he started to tell us the colors [of the college], the traditions and the values.” She said she and her O-Week sister both found themselves drawn to the idea of a new community. “After what we went through during the whole week, we both feel like we didn’t fit in with the McMurtry community,” Wilson said. Wilson said social dynamics during
O-Week made it di$cult to connect beyond her assigned group. “I think it was mostly during O-Week,” she said. “Many people just stuck together.” Navigating McMurtry’s social dynamics, she said, continued to be di$cult beyond O-Week. “Even after O-Week, nobody talks to each other,” Wilson said. “They just stick around, they’re in their movies or just going to the commons with the friends that they meet during the week.” A single O-Week dinner, Wilson said, left a lasting feeling of being excluded.
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A&E IN DEFENSE OF SERVERY PIZZA
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content content content STUDENT CROWNED AT HOMECOMING PAGE 11
FOOTBALL PLAYER UP FOR AWARD PAGE 9
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