Rice University
- Facilities

"Green" Initiatives

Rice was kind of early on the "green" movement, starting campus environmental initiatives as early as the 1997-98 school year. Today, Rice is still big on green living; in 2006, Rice set the goal to make all new buildings LEED certified. The recreation and wellness center, Duncan College, McMurtry College, and Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen are just a few examples of buildings with LEED certification.

Favorite Things To Do

On campus, you can go swimming, pump some iron, or practice other sports at Autry Court. Students can also get a coffee, smoothie, beer, or sub sandwich at the student center; take in an independent film or use the photo labs in the Media Center; see an exhibition of a contemporary artist at the Rice Gallery in Sewall Hall; or go see a play or musical in Hamman Hall or any of the residential colleges. You can also go to a pub, see music performances, study, chill in the quads with guitars and people, have picnics, play baseball, and barbecue.

Pub night on Thursdays at Willy's Pub is very popular with most underclassmen, although seniors and grad students prefer to go to the calmer Valhalla pub (also on campus). The Rice Coffeehouse in the student center does good business late into the night (closes at 12 a.m.), and it sometimes hosts open-mic nights, poetry slams, and small concerts. Shepherd Music Hall is a source of frequent, free, amazing concerts and operas. Rice Dance Theater, the Rice Philharmonics (an a capella group), and Spontaneous Combustion (an improv comedy group) all perform frequently in various spaces on campus, often to large crowds. The Rice Players and the residential colleges put on amazing theatrical productions, many of which are student produced and directed. IM sports are huge, and some varsity sports are popular, as well, with free admission to students.