VOLUME 110, ISSUE NO. 10 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2025
Admin rewrites cultural club descriptions to fit Trump administration suggestions
BRANDON NGUYEN / THRESHER
JAMES CANCELARICH
NEWS EDITOR
Rice administration changed the descriptions of approximately 80 student organizations in response to a July 29 memorandum from the Office of the Attorney General that recommended schools make clubs open to all students, rather than any one cultural or affinity group. The organizations with revised descriptions included many racial, ethnic or gender-focused clubs. Student leaders were informed of changes to their club descriptions in meetings Oct. 23 and 27 hosted by Alexander Byrd, the vice provost for the office of access and institutional
excellence, formerly the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Organizations in attendance included the Black Student Union, the Society of Women Engineers and oSTEM, an LGBTQ+ engineering association. In an audio recording of the Oct. 27 meeting obtained by the Thresher, Byrd said the AIE first began looking at club descriptions following the AG’s memorandum. “Last July, the DOJ issued some guidance, called guidance for recipients of federal funding regarding unlawful discrimination … and that particular memo suggests that the DOJ may assume discrimination when considering club names and descriptions that are focused
on racial and ethnic groups and perhaps other protected categories,” Bryd said during the meeting. The memo warns institutions receiving federal funding, like Rice, that race-based scholarships or programs and access to facilities or resources based on race or ethnicity is unlawful. The memo then recommends that institutions ensure inclusive access, avoiding groups that could potentially exclude people based on protected classes. Protected classes include race, color, national origin, sex and religion, among others, according to the memo. During the meeting, Byrd said repeatedly that the changes involve clarifying membership.
“If it wasn’t clear concerning a protected category — concerning who is able to be a member of the organization — then we made that clear,” Byrd said in the meeting. The student organizations had their descriptions and purpose statements edited on OwlNest, an online portal that allows students to browse campus extracurricular activities and events. Byrd said club members would have a chance to communicate with AIE about the changes if they disagreed with them. However, he said the university could be at risk if the changes are not made.
SEE DIVERSITY CHANGES PAGE 2
Former Israeli hostage visits Rice, pro-Palestine demonstraters denied entry SARAH KNOWLTON
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
WHAT’S INSIDE
Former Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov began his talk at the Baker Institute for Public Policy with, he said, the same words he uses at every speaking engagement. “I am Omer Shem Tov, and I am a free man,” he said. Shem Tov was invited to the Baker Institute Oct. 29 by Chabad at Rice for an event titled, “An Evening With a Former Hostage: A Story of Hope and Strength.” Chabad Rabbi Shmuli Slonim, who hosted the event with his wife Nechama, said he hoped the event would inspire students. “Why we wanted to bring down Omer after hearing about his story, is that his message of positivity in the face of so
much inner struggle is something that I believe can give strength to every single student,” Slonim said. Shem Tov was held captive by Hamas for 505 days and was released in February. Since then, he said he’s visited a number of cities and universities to speak and to promote his episode of an HBO documentary anthology about survivors of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack in Israel. “I’ve seen pro-Palestinians, I’ve seen Jews, I’ve seen non-Jews,” Shem Tov said of his events in an interview with the Thresher. “I’ve seen everything, and it’s amazing for me to see. Sometimes I can achieve it, seeing someone who is more pro-Palestinian changing their mind a bit. I don’t have to talk with them. I just see it in their eyes.”
SEE ISRAELI HOSTAGE PAGE 2
FIONA SIK / THRESHER Former Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov speaks to a crowd at the Baker Institute for Public Policy Oct. 29. Shem Tov was invited to the Baker Institute by Chabad at Rice.
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