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FactsSlang
- “Beyond the Hedges” - The world outside the hedges that surround the campus.
- 45-90-180 - Three big slabs of granite displayed in the engineering quad and tilted at these respective angles. Also known as “tipsy/sober/drunk.” A good place to sun bathe, read, or go “star-gazing” with a “friend.”
- Academ - An arts, humanities, or social sciences major; opposite of an S.E.
- All-nighter - What takes place after procrastination and before an extension.
- Archi - Those unfortunate individuals who sell their souls to the architecture department and spend most of the college career in “studio.”
- Associate - A faculty, staff, or community member who is associated with a particular college, good people to get to know.
- Backpage - Humor page of the Thresher (student paper) that serves as a forum for what the BP editors think is funny and enlightening to the rest of campus. See “Misclass.”
- Baker 13 - See Rice Traditions.
- Baker Fountain - Located near the Baker Institute, fun to run through, if you can avoid slipping or getting busted by the Campos.
- Bakerfeast - Rumored to be a party. See Rice Traditions.
- Beer Bike - See Rice Traditions.
- Beer-Golf - Usually a Friday afternoon or College Night activity involving golf clubs, beer, tennis balls, beer, the entire Rice campus as a course, and beer.
- Big Three - Math 101, Chemistry 121, and Physics 101. The three classes that most S.E.s take their freshman year—known to convert a good number to Academs.
- Bioc
- BPE - Backpage Editor
- Bunny Grades - Service provided by the Registrar’s office informing freshmen of their spring midterm grades and given out around Easter.
- Campanile - The annual Rice yearbook, which you pay for with the blanket tax. Also the name of the “bell tower” overlooking the Engineering Quad.
- Campo - Campus Police
- Care Package - Two words that parents don’t seem to remember enough.
- CENG (senj) - A chemical engineering major
- Chem E - See CENG.
- CIVI - Civil Engineering major
- College Night - Holiday typically sponsored once each semester at each of the residential colleges, usually involve themes to dress up or drink to.
- Cougar High - University of Houston
- Creamy J - Creamy Jalapeno, a specialty at Chuy’s restaurant. You will find plenty of this at study breaks.
- Dead Week - Not an entire week. The four days between the last day of classes and the first day of scheduled finals.
- Diff-E - Short for “differential equations,” one of the most lamented math courses at Rice.
- EE (Double E) - Electrical engineering major. Remember kids, you can’t spell geek without EE.
- Elec
- Esperanza - Fall formal sponsored by the Rice Program Council, a Sadie Hawkins-type dance in which the girls traditionally ask the guys.
- Extension - Learn it, live it, love it. What you ask your prof for if you fall asleep in the middle of your all-nighter, or procrastinate just a little too much. SEs need not apply.
- F&H - Food and Housing. See H&D.
- Fairy Fountain - Fountain located between Jones College and Brown College. If you live at one of the North Colleges, and you have a birthday, you are going in.
- Fondren - Rice Library.
- Frog Wall - A wall on the entrance to the Archi building that makes frog noises if you run your fingers over the holes.
- Gnome Cart (guh-no-me-cart) - Golf carts that F&H people use to get around campus. Favorite item to steal when drunk and/or stupid.
- Graduate Student Association (GSA) - Just what it sounds like.
- H&D - Housing and Dining. The new fancy name for F&H.
- Hedge-jumping - A favorite past-time for daring or drunk underclassmen who attempt to hurdle (or at least fling their bodies) over the hedges in the quad.
- Hedges - Bushes that line the perimeter of the University and protect us from the outside world. Also found in the quad. See “hedge-jumping.”
- Honor Code - What allows us to have take-home and unproctored exams/finals. The students take it seriously.
- Honor Council - The protector/enforcer of the Honor Code, a student board responsible for investigations and trials of alleged Honor Code Violations.
- Hook Up (v) - Can mean a variety of things, but usually refers to interpersonal relations from smooching to, well . . . you know.
- House of Pies - Very popular all-night food-run spot.
- Inner Loop - Somewhat circular road that passes through campus, approximately 1.4 miles around. Popular jogging path and the route of the Rice shuttles.
- Ironman/Ironwoman - A person who chugs AND bikes at Beer Bike. (See Rice Traditions).
- Jack - Pulling a prank on another college. Very popular during O-week and Beer Bike.
- KTRU (kay troo) - Rice’s student-run radio station.
- Labbie - Fearless guides through lab-courses.
- Ley Student Center - More likely to be called the RMC.
- LPAP - Formerly known as “HPER,” the Lifetime Physical Activity Program consists of a wide variety of P.E.-type classes. You will be required to take two before graduation.
- Man, the - Any repressive force that attempts to squelch the spirit of Rice’s student population.
- Marquis II, the - Local “dive” bar, famous for its specials on Long Island Iced Teas.
- Masters - Faculty members who are chosen to reside with a college for five years and serve as surrogate parents. Get to know these guys; they are great connections and friends and will stand on your side if you should have a scrape with “The Man.”
- Matriculation - Opposite of graduation. Involves walking through the Sallyport into the quad as a symbolic act of being integrated into the University.
- Meat Sheet - See Meet Sheet.
- Mech E - Mechanical Engineering Student
- Mecom Fountain - Located at the intersection of Main and Montrose. Expected birthday surprise for those turning 21.
- Meet Sheet - Newcomers Guide published every fall containing pictures, names, colleges, and interests of incoming freshmen and transfer students. Freshmen are usually reduced to a row, column, and page number by upperclassmen.
- Misclass - Part of the Backpage that takes humorous comments out of context. Contributions can be e-mailed to backpage@rice.edu.
- MOB (Marching Owl Band) - The pride of halftime shows at Rice football games. Not your average Marching Band. Go check them out.
- Montrose - Artsy, bohemian area based around the intersection of Montrose and Westheimer. The center of the gay district in Houston.
- MSCI (Miskee) - Materials Science and Engineering
- Night of Decadence - See Rice Traditions.
- OC - Off Campus
- Orgo - Chem 211-212, Organic Chemistry
- Outer Loop - Loop that circles around the outer edge of campus. Approx. three miles. Popular jogging path.
- O-Week (Orientation week) - See Rice Traditions.
- Owls - (In addition to being the mascot), Visiting high school seniors who have been accepted; Most come during Owl Weekend, an event sponsored by the admissions office in April.
- PDR - Private Dining Room, located in the commons area of many residential colleges.
- Pledge - “On my honor, I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this homework/quiz/exam.” Key component of the Honor Code, must be signed on almost anything you hand in at Rice. Might as well memorize it now.
- Politico - Anyone who lives and dies to be elected, or at least to discuss policies and politics, not a compliment.
- Prospective - High school students who come to Rice to check it out, also called a “Prospy.”
- Prospie
- Pub Rats - Regulars at Willy’s Pub.
- Pumpkin Grades - Service provided by the Registrar’s office informing freshmen of their fall midterm grades, typically given out around Halloween.
- Purity Test - Test containing 100 yes-or-no questions attesting to the relative “experience” of a person. Normally administered during O-week and at the end of senior year to see how much Rice has corrupted you.
- Rally Club - Male exclusive club that meets before home football (and occasionally baseball or basketball) games. They wear white overalls, drink lots of beer, stumble to the games, and yell offensive cheers at opposing teams.
- Rice Memorial Center (RMC) - The student center and home to the campus store, the Pub, Subway, the Rice Chapel, Sammy’s, Smoothie King, and more.
- Rondolet (Ron-duh-lay) - Annual Spring formal held around Beer Bike time, guys traditionally do the asking.
- Room Draw (Jack) - Process in which rooms at each college are distributed. Freshmen are guaranteed housing and avoid the luck of the draw.
- Rustication - Discipline option in which student is barred from attending campus events other than class.
- SA (Student Association - Governing body of the undergraduate students of the University, think student council.
- Sally Club - Female equivalent of Rally Club
- Sallyport - Big archway in the middle of Lovett Hall. See Rice Traditions.
- Screw Your Roommate - Annual Rice Program Council event in which people set up their roommates on a blind date and brainstorm creative ways for them to meet (a.k.a. find each other in the massive crowd that gathers on the quad). The Meet Sheet is an excellent resource to pick out potential dates. A few examples of set-ups: Woman dressed as Princess Jasmine; Man wheeled in on a cart, dressed as Aladdin, singing “A Whole New World.” Man duck-taped to a tree; Woman sent to the Quad with an enormous pair of scissors. Woman dressed up in large cow costume; Man sent dressed as a farmer with a pail. At worst, the night is a bad date and a way to meet someone new; at best, people have actually found true love!
- SE - A science or engineering major
- SMR - Student Maintenance Representative. Call this guy (or gal) if you want to rearrange your room, report unwelcome guests (i.e. ants, roaches, roommate’s significant other), if something gets broken, or if you get locked out.
- Steam Tunnel - System of underground tunnels connecting all the buildings at Rice. Exploring them is a “must do” before you graduate, but if you get caught, see “Rustication.”
- Study Break - A good thing to have after many long hours of slaving away on a paper or problem set. Usually involves food and drink. Can be university-wide, college-wide, or just a spontaneous trip to fast food with your friends. Also frequently sponsored by RAs, masters, or various clubs.
- Taco Cabana (TC) - Favorite 24-hour Mexican joint known for tortillas and queso.
- The Pub - Willy’s Pub, located in the basement of the RMC (Student Center).
- The Quad - Area enclosed by Lovett, Rayzor, Sewall, and Anderson Halls, Fondren, and the Physics building.
- The Thresher - Rice student-run weekly newspaper.
- The Trasher - The April Fool’s newspaper, in no way affiliated with the Thresher.
- The Village - Shopping and dining area located close to Rice campus.
- University Blue - Rice’s literary outlet for students. Filled with poetry, stories, photography, and artwork. Published in the spring and also known as U-Blue.
- William Rice’s Marsh - A play on the name of our founder to express what happens to campus whenever we have a good heavy Houston rain.
- Willy Week - See Rice Traditions.
- Willy’s Statue - Located in the middle of the Quad. Willy’s ashes are inside, making Rice the largest cemetery in the state of Texas.
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
- Be careful not to get in over your head as a freshman. Be reasonable about your limitations. Rice kids were, for the most part, the overachievers of their high schools. However, it just won’t work to start college, take a heavy course load, sign up for two intramural teams, run for a political office, and try out for your college musical. Start with a few things on your plate until you figure out how much you can stomach.
- Meet people outside of your college! The relationships you form within your college are awesome and will probably be the strongest you have at Rice. But you will start to feel really cramped after a year of two if you only hang out with people from your college. So cultivate other relationships, as well. Also, be warned that college gossip is awful. Dating, hookups, fighting; if it happens within your college, chances are good that everyone will soon know.
- On the Rice application, there is an empty box that applicants are supposed to “Fill with something that appeals to them.” Don’t put grains of rice in the box. It sounds clever, but the Admissions office hates that.
- Then again, college is the time to explore. College is all about figuring out who you are. Shop around!!! Rice is a great place to step out of your comfort zone and try something you’ve never tried before: a new sport, your college musical, the improv comedy team, marching band, or writing for the newspaper. Also, do some exploring with your classes. Use your electives to try something new and interesting, or even shop around for your major. The perfect academic career that you have in mind when you start college might be very different from what you end up with!
Tips to Succeed
- Don’t be afraid. Rice can be an intimidating place at first. You won’t be the “smart kid” that you always were in high school, because everyone here is exceptionally intelligent and hardworking. The cool thing is that once you are accepted, you can have full confidence that you belong here. For whatever reason, the Admissions Office decided that Rice needed a person like you, and they believed that you could handle the workload. So you should believe the same! Classes can be strenuous, but the work is manageable. You won’t find the cut-throat competition at Rice that you find at other prestigious schools. So if you find that you need help, your fellow students are a great resource.
- Professors, RAs, and Masters are all on your side. Use them as connections; get to know them as friends. Make an effort to introduce yourself to your profs. Rice professors love that! And it will pay off later if you need an extension, hope for extra credit work, or want a letter of recommendation. Plus, it’s amazing just to pick their brains. These people are brilliant in their areas of study, and they are excited to talk to you about your interests.
- This is what your parents will tell you, but college goes by so fast! Live it up, and make the most of every opportunity!
Urban Legends
- One of the most classic and notorious Rice legends is simply the story of the mysterious demise of our founder, William Marsh Rice. Rice’s valet, a man named Charles Jones, conspired with a crooked attorney, Albert Patrick, to kill Rice on September 23, 1900 and claim his fortune using a forged will. An autopsy, ordered by Rice’s attorney, Captain James A. Baker (founder of Baker college), revealed evidence of poison. Jones testified against Patrick in order to receive immunity from prosecution, and in 1901, Patrick was convicted of murder and sent to Sing Sing. He was pardoned in 1912. Baker’s actions allowed for Rice’s actual will to be followed, and his estate left to the founding of Rice University. Rice’s remains are buried under a large statue in the University Quad.
- Rice pranks, or “jacks” are numerous. Some are clever while others are simply vile. One group of Brown College students once went out to eat at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, and then snuck over to Baker College, where a Shakespeare production was underway. The students forced themselves to vomit all around the Commons and entrance areas to the building. Another prank, rumored to be motivated by the same Brown “mastermind,” resulted in all the plumbing to Jones College being shut off for nearly a full day. In addition to preventing students from practicing good hygiene, the news of the prank did not travel fast enough to prevent several students from using the toilets, leaving an unpleasant smell to linger for the rest of the afternoon. For more historic Rice pranks, visit http://staff.rice.edu/staff/Pranks.asp.
- The guy running Baker 13 went through a library window naked covered in shaving cream.
- This leads nicely to another fabulous Rice legend, the story of a group of engineering students who, in 1988, decided that they were fed up with some recent decisions made by the administration. They concocted a plan to rotate the 2,000 pound statue of William Marsh Rice (located in the quad) 180 degrees, making Willy face Fondren Library for the first time in 58 years, thus turning his back on the Administration. The students elaborate plan was simulated on computers and tested off-campus on a 2,250 pound Toyota. According to legend, they removed the lights around the Quad two weeks prior to the prank, so that they could work in the dark without drawing attention. They also convinced campus police that the large A-frames used to rotate the statue were part of a school project, and were given a police escort to Entrance 8 when hauling the frames back onto campus after testing. The way the legend goes, the plan worked beautifully, except that one student, Patrick Dyson (’88) was caught. The University hired a group of real engineers to turn the statue to its rightful position, but these engineers somehow managed to damage the statue in the process (they claim the damage was done by the students). Dyson was given the responsibility of paying for the repair cost, as well as the cost of the engineering team. Students rallied behind Dyson. They printed and sold T-shirts that read, “Where There’s A Willy, There’s a Way “ and actually made a profit after reimbursing the University. What took the Rice students one hour and $400 to do, took professionals three hours and a rumored $1,500- $2,000 to undo.
Traditions
- “Screw-Your-Roommate” - Annual Rice Program Council event in which people set up their roommates on a blind date and brainstorm creative ways for them to meet (a.k.a. find each other in the massive crowd that gathers on the quad). The Meet Sheet is an excellent resource to pick out potential dates. A few examples of set-ups: Woman dressed as Princess Jasmine; Man wheeled in on a cart, dressed as Aladdin, singing “A Whole New World.” Man duck-taped to a tree; Woman sent to the Quad with an enormous pair of scissors. Woman dressed up in large cow costume; Man sent dressed as a farmer with a pail. At worst, the night is a bad date and a way to meet someone new; at best, people have actually found true love!
- Baker 13 - The proud Rice tradition of stripping naked, covering your body in shaving cream, running all around campus, and leaving body prints on various glass plate windows. Takes place on the 13th, 26th, and 31st of every month. If it is 10 p.m. on any of these days, and you catch the faint scent of shaving cream in the air, I’d recommend getting indoors very quickly. The runners will usually try to break into the residential colleges to leave prints on the inside, but are usually met by fierce (and often creative and borderline cruel) resistance. A few things to note: They will try to convince you to join them by chanting in zombie-fashion, “Join us!” The two unofficial rules of Baker 13 state that they can’t touch you, and they must stop for all photo requests.
- Bakerfeast - B-feast is “rumored to be a party,” and you might not get much more information than that from anyone that has attended. This medieval themed event dates back to the days when Jones Residential College housed only females, and Baker College housed only males. The Baker lads invited the Jones ladies for a formal feast in their swank commons. Only Baker and Jones seniors (and lucky 21-year-old invited guests) are invited to attend this costume event. The only further information that to give you is that food and drink are free flowing, and the “rumor” is OH-so-true.
- Beer Bike - By far the most hyped event on the Rice social calendar. More alumni return for Beer Bike than for Homecoming (at least, more young alumni). Undergrads begin prepping for this springtime event sometime in the fall. To break it into its simplest components: Beer Bike is a relay race of 10 bikers per team (men, women, and alumni) from each of the residential colleges, and the GSA. These bikers are joined by a team of 10 chuggers, who stand on a platform near the bike pit as each bike comes in, and must chug 24 (male) or 12 (women and alum) ounces of water or (yuck) warm and flat beer before the next biker can leave the pit. The hype leading up to the big day is huge (see “Willy Week” for more details). Most colleges (with the exception of Wiess) select a Beer Bike theme, print T-shirts, dye hair, paint faces, and more. They also fill water balloons—thousands and thousands of water balloons. These will be used for what will undoubtedly be the most wild, crazy, painful, and fun water balloon fight of your life. The Beer Bike parade that heads from Lovett Hall to the Bike track erupts in a colorful and wet exchange of ammunition between the colleges. Imagine it: almost every undergrad student at Rice participating in a cross-campus balloon fight. Oh yeah, it is that sweet.
- Fountain tossing - Namely the Fairy Fountain and Meacom Fountain—this tradition is mainly popular with members of the North Colleges (Martel, Jones, and Brown) because of their closer proximity to the Fairy Fountain. If you should be lucky enough to have a birthday during the school year, your friends will know, you will be hunted down when you least expect it (or perhaps exactly when you expect it), and nabbed, carried, and tossed into the Fairy Fountain. The general idea is that you should run, fight, or resist, but not to the point of hurting anyone. Then, once they have tossed you in, you scramble to get up (carefully so that you don’t slip!), all your friends bolt for the protection of the indoors, and you chase them down and try to repay them with big, wet hugs. Meacom (a public fountain about a block away) is basically the same idea, only this special honor is saved for your 21st birthday, and they may actually drive off and leave you to walk home.
- NOD (Night of Decadence) - Cited by both Playboy and Rolling Stone as one of America’s top 10 college parties, NOD has actually gotten a bit tamer over the last few years, due to the influence of a few concerned faculty members. Thrown by Wiess College every year around Halloween time, the party usually sponsors some witty play-on-words theme, such as: “Wizard of Nod,” “Nod to Authority,” “NeverNeverNod,” “NODty or Nice,” “2001, A Space Nodessy.” The goal is basically to wear the least possible amount of clothing and still somehow fit with the theme. (Examples: tin funnel, strategically placed for “Wizard of Nod,” Sheriff badges as pasties for “Nod to Authority”). Oh, and people tend to drink quite a bit. If you want an alternative activity for the evening, a lot of students choose to volunteer to work security, remain clothed, and look after their peers. (If you are lucky, they might let you use walkie-talkies or gnome carts!)
- O-Week (Orientation Week) - The week before school starts in the fall, intended to welcome and acclimate Rice freshmen and transfers. While you will have to sit through a number of semi-boring (but important and useful!) discussions and meetings about policies, schedules, and more, O-week is really fun. You will be assigned to a random group of students from your residential college and to several upperclassmen advisors (a.k.a. mentors, fellows), who will be your guiding light in times of darkness or confusion. These advisors will help you sort out your classes, figure out that campus map, steer you away from bad professors or other bad choices, and generally explain the way things at Rice work. You will also get to experience exciting O-week activities within your college, like Scavenger Hunts (so much cooler than it sounds, I promise!), fun mixers, mock beer bike, skits, and broom ball. With your O-week group you might get the chance to: visit the Waterwall or House of Pies, late-night road-trip to Galveston, go Steam Tunneling, jump in the President’s pool, and take the Purity Test. This is also when you will be brainwashed to believe that your residential college is far superior to the others. Don’t expect a lot of sleep this week, but come with an open mind and get ready to meet amazing people and have a great time!
- Sallyport - At Matriculation, during O-week of your freshman year, you will be marched through the Rice Sallyport, a large archway in Lovett Hall. You will walk from the opposite side of Lovett Hall into the Quad. You are greeted on the other side by a group of cheering advisors. This is symbolic of your entry into Rice. The tradition is that students cannot walk back out through the Sallyport again until the day of Graduation. After receiving your diploma, you walk from inside the Quad, through the Sallyport, to the opposite side of Lovett, where your cheering friends and family members will greet you. The story goes that if you should walk through the Sallyport again at all during your undergraduate career, you will be cursed and will never graduate from Rice. Even if you don’t believe in such superstition, the walk out at Graduation is especially rewarding if you have actually waited the entire four years.
- School Spirit - School spirit may not look like it does at large state schools, but Rice students are very proud to attend Rice. We know that our University is amazing in many ways, and we value the education we are receiving in addition to the many “pluses” that are lacking at other prestigious universities (better price, incredible faculty, residential college system, honor code, take-home and non-proctored exams, alcohol policy and wet campus, and our many unique traditions). Class rings are very popular among Rice students. Alumni purchase rings to remember their time at Rice, as well as to recognize fellow alum who have shared the experience. Students may not have huge amounts of school spirit when it comes to going out and supporting our athletic teams (football and baseball aside), but your average Rice student would surely stand tall and give a dignified retort if anyone tried to put Rice down. There is almost a fierce pride and camaraderie amongst Rice students. We identify with each other, and we are proud of our school. And we will cheer and wear the gear, if the situation calls for it.
- Willy Week - This is the week leading up to Beer Bike. Rice Program Council schedules events and TGs throughout the week, giving away T-shirts, and other Rice paraphernalia. Also, it’s crunch time for Beer Bike preparations, and the most popular time to play Jacks on rival colleges. Students try to infiltrate other colleges, locate their stash of water balloons, and steal or destroy them. Many colleges have Willy Week vigilantes who stand guard, wearing camo, until all hours of the night to protect from balloon raids and other jacks.
Most Recent Contributing Author
Name: Meenakshi Awasthi
Hometown: Arlington, TX
Major: English/Biology Meenakshi made her own dimple?by accident, of course! In Kindergarten, she fell off of the jungle gym and bruised her cheek pretty badly. Today it is a nice little dimple with a great history. Contributing Author Internship  College Prowler is actively seeking talented students to be "Contributing Authors," and assist with updating
the College Prowler guide to their school. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain internship experience, be a part of a nationally
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