About the Rice Taiwanese Association

The Rice Taiwanese Association is a non-political undergraduate organization at Rice University dedicated to promoting Taiwanese cultural awareness. In order to offer our members the opportunity to meet other students interested in the Taiwanese culture, RTA sponsors study breaks and other programs for everyone and anyone to learn aspects of Taiwanese history, language, music, and (of course) food. Past study breaks included mahjong, dumplings, brush-painting seminars, shaved ice, red bean soup, and mooncakes. RTA also tries to get the students out and about by organizing and subsidizing restaurant trips to Houston's Chinatown and other outings. These other outings have included going up to UT Austin to meet up with their Taiwanese association and to Intercollegiate Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Student Association (ITASA) conferences. Please check the Events page for more information on upcoming study breaks and restaurant trips.

Because of the importance of the Lunar New Year in Taiwanese culture, RTA sponsors a portion of the Lunar New Year celebration held annually by all the Asian organizations at Rice University. Members participate in this extravaganza through puppet shows, dancing, or costume modeling. There are pictures of our work in the Media section.

RTA Families

This upcoming year, RTA is looking forward to using a new family structure to increase participation and involvement. Basically, think O-week groups, but for the entire semester. RTA families will allow for people to get to know each other more closely and provide a support system. Things to look forward to as an RTA Family Head include spending your family's budget on fun group activities, and being in charge of one large RTA club event. We encourage you to apply if you'd like to become more involved in RTA! This is also a great way to build up some leadership experience and make new friends!

To apply to be a family head, fill out this form by August 30th, 2011: RTA Family Head Application