Step off campus and into the Museum District
Passport to Houston shows new students there’s more to Rice than the campus

BY JESSICA STARK
Rice News staff

An almost eerie quiet fell about the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) at a quarter till 7 p.m. Aug. 20. It seemed as if the exhibits — from the “Terra Cotta Warriors” to “Genghis Khan” — were preparing for something big. And while Ben Stiller sat this one out, it was a night at the museum for the Rice community.

	JEFF FITLOW
	Freshmen got a glimpse of the city’s rich offerings during O-week’s Passport to Houston event. Passport to Houston is designed to engage undergraduate students with the city so that they are more community-oriented, socially engaged and culturally aware.

As part of O-week’s Passport to Houston event, swarms of new Rice students stepped off campus and into the Museum District.

“You don’t realize how close the museums are until you walk over,” said Ben Lopez, a Brown College junior and O-week adviser. “They are just across the parking lot. We were going to take the light rail, but it was just as quick to walk over.”

Since discovering HMNS during his O-week two years ago, Lopez has found the museum to be the perfect place to take a date or have a study break. His favorite exhibits have been “Body Worlds 2” and “Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia.”

“Sometimes it’s nice to get away from campus and get out into the city,” Lopez said. “That’s why I like Passport to Houston. It makes you aware of the larger community Rice is a part of.”

Passport to Houston
Find out what other events Passport to Houston is planning for Rice students
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Flip through our photo gallery for a look back at Rice University’s orientation week
With events held throughout the year, Passport to Houston is designed to engage undergraduate students with the city so that they are more community-oriented, socially engaged and culturally aware. 

Leading that effort at HMNS was Rice President David Leebron, University Representative Y. Ping Sun and Dean of Undergraduates Robin Forman, who joined the new Rice students to tour and explore the museum. Most importantly though, the night was another opportunity for Leebron, Sun and Forman to get to know the 904 new Rice students.

“I think it’s incredible how the president is so accessible and willing to get involved in student life,” said Alicia Jones, a McMurtry College freshman. “I haven’t even been here a full week, and I feel like I already know him and his wife.”

Jones got to know Sun better during the Passport to Houston event. The two spent time talking about the happenings of O-week but focused most on how Jones could convince her younger sister to come to Rice.

JEFF FITLOW
McMurtry College freshman Alicia Jones, right, chatted with University Representative Y. Ping Sun during the  group outing to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. See more photos of the students’ night at the museum here.

“I’m just having such a great time,” Jones said. “Everything has been so much fun. I grew up around here, so I’ve been to the museum before and loved it, but it’s even better tonight to be here with everyone.”

For Brown College freshman Irene Prado the trip was an eye-opening experience. She is now looking forward to more than just her electrical engineering classes.

“I will definitely be coming back to this museum and seeing all the others. Being here tonight gets me so excited about all that I can do at Rice,” she said.

O-week adviser Karen Gerken said that is exactly the point of Passport to Houston.
“We want to show the new students how close the museums are and how much Houston is part of the Rice experience,” said Gerken, a Hanszen College junior. “We also want to show them that there’s more stuff to do during your time at Rice than classes. There’s much more to the intellectual life.”

A full slate of Passport to Houston offerings can be found at http://www.students.rice.edu/students/Passport.asp.