VOLUME 110, ISSUE NO. 06 | STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916 | RICETHRESHER.ORG | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2025
Business school ditches grade cap
ARMAN SAXENA / THRESHER Students walk out of McNair Hall, home to the Virani Undergraduate School of Business and the Jones Graduate School of Business. The Virani School repealed its grade cap that required all courses in the department to have an average GPA of 3.5.
ALVINA THARA
FOR THE THRESHER The Virani Undergraduate School of Business faculty voted Sept. 23 to repeal its longstanding grade cap, which required all business classes to have an average ending GPA of 3.50. The change will be immediately implemented. The move marks the latest in a series of changes for the school, from officially introducing the business major in 2021 to changing its name in 2024. The former grade cap translates to an average grade of a B+, and was based on the Jones Graduate School of Business’ grading policy. It was initially applied to
undergraduate business programs in 2012 when the only undergraduate offering was the business minor. Peter Rodriguez, Houston endowment dean of the Virani and Jones schools, said that the cap was first introduced to maintain grading consistency for the department. “The concerns at the time were just ensuring rigor in the classroom and a concern that some courses weren’t really taken seriously enough by students,” Rodriguez said. “The university’s average GPA was about 3.5 … so it felt like a fairly straightforward cap that was just meant to keep us in line with the university.” However, this long-standing policy has
I think the … consistent feedback we got from students over a number of years amplified the importance and salience of the issue for our students. James Weston
SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR BUSINESS DEGREE PROGRAMS
had its share of split opinions. At many Virani School informational sessions and events, prospective and current students alike would frequently raise concerns about grade deflation and the grade curve. Alhena Kerawala, finance head of the Rice Business Society, said she has noticed prospective students expressing concern about the grade cap in the past as a factor that could deter them from attending Rice. “People felt like it would kind of affect their GPA and that they wouldn’t be able to reach the 4.0 GPA that they wanted,” said Kerawala, a Lovett College junior majoring in business.
SEE BUSINESS SCHOOL PAGE 3
‘We are vibrant’: Taste of Africa brings culture to campus YILIAN JIANG
FOR THE THRESHER When asked about her cultural heritage, Chelsea Asibbey pointed to her cardigan striped with red, gold and green: the colors of the Ghanaian flag. Asibbey, an event coordinator for the Rice African Student Association, was one of many students representing their cultures at RASA’s Taste of Africa event on Sept. 27. Taste of Africa is an annual event that provides African students with the opportunity to share their cultures with the rest of Rice. The Rice Memorial Center’s Grand Hall was transformed into a vibrant array of stations, each representing a region in Africa: North, West, Central, East and South, as well as the African diaspora in the Caribbean Islands. Colorful and informational trifold boards adorned each table, along with trays of homemade food. “Whether [it’s] through food, or through dancing, or through clothing, we hope that Taste of Africa gives people a little bit of insight into things that they might be
unfamiliar [with],” said Asibbey, a Baker College junior. Tori Okoli, a Hanszen College junior, sold traditional Nigerian attire at the event as part of her mother’s business, Lyok Accessories and Clothing. Some of the items for sale included beaded bracelets and necklaces, head wraps, and multicolored dashikis and Ankara tops. “[My mom] goes to Nigeria every once in a while and gets all these clothes from the market, so it’s straight from there,” Okoli said. This year, Taste of Africa was catered by ChòpnBlok, a Houston-based restaurant owned by Ope Amosu ’14. The West African fusion restaurant, recently named in “The Restaurant List 2025” by “The New York Times,” serves a variety of suya, chicken, rice, curries and stews. On the menu Saturday was jollof rice, coconut curry, plantains and chicken. “It’s very hearty, very delicious food that everyone can come in and experience and really enjoy,” said Megan White, the operational catering manager for
ChòpnBlok. “It’s not too spicy, it’s not too overwhelming, it’s very flavorful.” For event attendees, Taste of Africa was an opportunity for education and connection. “The food was so good – [it was] so interesting to try things I hadn’t tried before and also just talk to people about their experiences,” said Trinity Walker, a Will Rice College freshman. “I’m African American, but I’m not really connected to [any region…], so I just wanted to learn all about it.” Asibbey said she relished Taste of Africa as an opportunity to indulge in the culinary riches of the continent and celebrate both collective and individual identity. “I’m African, I’m also a Rice student, I’m also from Colorado and a Sport Management major — we have all these things that we really attach to our identity,” Asibbey said. “And I think that oftentimes we can compartmentalize or feel like here at Rice, [we] have to be one thing.” Asibbey said that while Africa is often presented in a way that emphasizes the continent’s hardships, Taste of Africa provided an opportunity to highlight the
MUYIWA OGUNSOLA / THRESHER Attendees at the Rice African Student Association’s Taste of Africa event visit tables representing different regions and cultures. beauty of African cultures. “We are happy, we do love dancing, we are vibrant, and not everything is struggling and fighting for your life,” Asibbey said. “I think Taste of Africa really [brings] us into the joy that is Africa.” Editor’s note: This article was condensed for print. Read the full version at ricethresher.org.