Editing Rice University (section)

===Innovation District===
{{Main|Rice Innovation District}}In early 2019, Rice announced the site where the abandoned [[Sears]] building in [[Midtown Houston]] stood, along with its surrounding area, would be transformed into "The Ion," the hub of the {{convert|16|acre|ha|adj=on}} South Main Innovation District.<ref name=":2" /> President of Rice, [[David Leebron]] stated "We chose the name Ion because it's from the Greek ienai, which means 'go'. We see it as embodying the ever-forward motion of discovery, the spark at the center of a truly original idea. It also represents the last three letters in many of the words that define the building's mission, like inspiration, creation, acceleration and innovation."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harms |first=Natalie |date=August 19, 2020 |title=Rice University transforms iconic Sears building into innovation hub |url=https://houston.culturemap.com/news/innovation/01-30-19-rice-university-innovation-the-ion-sears-building-midtown-construction/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810074352/https://houston.culturemap.com/news/innovation/01-30-19-rice-university-innovation-the-ion-sears-building-midtown-construction/ |archive-date=August 10, 2020 |access-date=August 19, 2020 |work=Culture Map}}</ref>[[File:The Ion in Houston.jpg|right|thumb|The Ion building under construction in the [[Rice Innovation District]] ]]
Students of Rice and other Houston-area colleges and universities making up the Student Coalition for a Just and Equitable Innovation Corridor are advocating for a [[Community Benefits Agreement|community benefits agreement]] (CBA), a contractual agreement between a developer and a community coalition.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=2019-07-19|title=Rice University-led Ion innovation district breaks ground|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Rice-University-led-Ion-innovation-district-14109401.php|access-date=2020-12-28|website=HoustonChronicle.com|language=en-US|archive-date=December 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205032126/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Rice-University-led-Ion-innovation-district-14109401.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Residents of neighboring [[Third Ward, Houston|Third Ward]] and other members of the Houston Coalition for Equitable Development Without Displacement (HCEDD) have faced consistent opposition from the City of Houston and Rice Management Company to a CBA as traditionally defined, in favor of an agreement between the latter two entities without a community coalition signatory.<ref name=":3" />