Colleges offer subsidies for social life costs
Every residential college has finalized programs to lower social costs for low-income students in time for Beer Bike, using $500 that the office of the Dean of Undergraduates allocated to each college this semester for the purpose of aiding low-income students. College presidents focused on finding ways to subsidize event and merchandise costs as part of a larger push to cover nontuition expenses that act as barriers preventing low income students from fully participating in the Rice experience. Student leadership began working on this issue over a year ago, when a report from the Student Association showed that nearly 60 percent of students with a household income of less than $50,000 could not participate in Rice events like Beer Bike or service opportunities such as Alternative Spring Break due to the costs involved.