Rice University Turns to Online Classes

The Texas school has high vaccination rates. And strict mask rules. Now, it’s taken another step to fend off the coronavirus.

Rice University, a private institution in Houston, has done its best to build a wall against the Delta variant that is engulfing the state of Texas. Unlike the state’s public universities, which cannot mandate vaccines or masks, Rice said it expected students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus — adopting language that stopped short of violating Texas law — and imposed stringent requirements for being on campus. It requires students and faculty members to wear masks indoors. But as the virus surges in Houston, Rice became the second university in the state to shift classes online. On Thursday, the university announced that it had delayed the start of the fall semester two days until Aug. 25 and that classes would remain online through Sept. 3. Students may stay on campus, but those who had not yet arrived were encouraged to remain at home.