HOUSTON — When the Rice Owls take on the Sam Houston State Bearkats on Saturday, they'll be honoring 21-year-old Andrea Rodriguez Avila, the student who was killed in an apparent murder-suicide in her dorm earlier this week.
Rice University President Reginald Desroches announced the special decal, which will bear the young woman's name, on social media Thursday afternoon.
"Let's stand together, honor her spirit and find strength in our unity as a community," DesRoches said.
We have not yet seen what the helmets will look like.
Rice also held a candlelight service Wednesday night at the university's Memorial Chapel. Members of Avila's family joined students and community members to honor the young woman whose bright future was cut short.
“Andrea was a remarkable young woman, beloved by her family, friends, classmates and all who had the privilege of knowing her,” Rice Provost Amy Dittmar told the attendees. “She embraced life and was both brilliant and brave.”
On the front page of the very first student newspaper of the semester is a story about this tragic story. Students were welcomed to the fall semester with devastating news. But one student who spoke with KHOU hopes the focus will shift from tragedy to honoring Andrea's life.
Tragic news fills the Rice Thresher newspaper's front page. It's not what editor-in-chief Riya Misra expected to be writing about the very first week of classes.
“Rice is so small and such a tight community when you lose one person everyone feels that loss,” Misra said. “Remember who she was, that's what we’re really focused on now as an outlet and as a paper. Again, she was one of our own. So, we really just want to pay our respects and our support as best as we can.”
Misra said the tragedy on the first day forced a necessary cancellation of back-to-school activities allowing room for students to grieve and to also come together.
“It’s difficult to report on such difficult and heartbreaking news. And it’s even more tough when you are the news," Misra said. “At this point, just really focused on trying to remember who she was and who she was on this campus.”
Avila's body was discovered Monday around 4:30 p.m. during a welfare check. Police said the shooter, 22-year-old Habeneyom Belai, was also found dead in the room with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. There were no signs of forced entry.
Belai, who wasn't a student at the university, had left a note behind detailing his troubled relationship with Avila, according to Rice University Police Chief Clemente Rodriguez.
Remembering Andrea Rodriguez Avila
According to university officials, Avila was a junior, pre-law student at Rice majoring in political science.
She is from Nottingham, Maryland, and transferred to the university in spring 2024 from Community College of Baltimore County.
While attending college in Baltimore, Avila was active in the college-wide student programming board, Multicultural Student Association, Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and the First Year Experience Mentor program, according to the university.
While at Rice University, officials said Avila was deputy parliamentarian of the Rice Student Association, a peer academic advisor at Jones College and an at-large representative of the university's honor council.
Resources for victims of domestic or family violence
Domestic and family violence cases in the Houston area have increased at an alarming rate. Victims often suffer in silence because they feel scared, helpless or ashamed.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, here are some discreet ways to reach out for help.
The Houston Area Women’s Center has a 24-hour hotline for victims of domestic violence at 713-528-2121 or 1-800-256-0551.