Rice University students come from all different walks of life to form the wonderfully diverse and vibrant community the university is known for. Every O-Week, the university’s weeklong orientation program, Rice Connections offers the opportunity for students from different faith traditions, cultural backgrounds and more to come together and meet their freshman peers.
Representatives from the Black Student Association andRice African Student Association, the Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice (HACER), Chabad at Rice and Houston Hillel, Muslim Student Association, and Rice Pride and the Queer Resource Center (QRC) welcomed incoming freshmen in small groups Aug. 21, engaging a series of get-to-know-you icebreaker activities and informational sessions for these groups of individuals.
The new class of 1,163 Owls is a diverse one, with 29% from historically excluded groups, not including international students.
“We’re here to connect with the Jewish community at Rice and remind them that they have a home here away from home,” said Rabbi Shmuli Slonim, who heads Chabad at Rice and spoke to new Jewish students on campus. “It’s the first time many of them have been away from home, and we want to remind them that they have a family here.”
Mingo Almazán, co-president of Rice Pride and a coordinator for QRC, said he hoped the event helped new students get to know and recognize their peers around campus.
“Also, we want to increase participation in QRC because we have a lot of resources and a lot of people, and when (new students) come in, they might not be aware that there’s a lot of stuff for them,” Almazán said, adding that QRC’s offerings range from a variety of social events to reading materials to sexual education and informational pamphlets.
Diego Terrones Floresgomez, a Wiess College freshman born in Mexico and from State College, Pennsylvania, attended the gathering hosted by HACER.
“I came here to find people that have similar culture and background to me and be able to speak Spanish, which is difficult to practice in a non-Latino country,” Floresgomez said. “Growing up as a kid, I only spoke Spanish at home, so now moving into college without my parents, I wanted to find a community that I can speak Spanish with and embrace my culture.”
Rice’s Black Student Association and HACER also hosted receptions for new students Aug. 17.
Learn more about O-Week 2024 by clicking here.