Dining access fund announced following on-campus unlimited meal swipes
Rice announced new food assistance programs on Tuesday to account for the controversial change in the on-campus meal swipe plan.
According to a campuswide email from Housing and Dining, the Rice Swipe Support System provides a block of meal swipes at the beginning of the semester free of charge for students without meal plans. The program is intended for students facing barriers to meal access, either due to "financial or personal hardship.”
The form to request swipes, which is open until Aug. 20, will notify students by Aug. 26 to let them know whether they will be receiving swipes.
The program is funded by H&D and managed in partnership with the Student Success Initiative, with support from the Student Association, according to the campuswide email.
Previously, extra meal swipes from students with meal plans were donated and distributed by a Student Association program. Last year’s program saw record success, with 16,905 meal swipes donated to off-campus students at the beginning of fall semester, according to former SA president Jae Kim. The program was then expanded with a mid semester donation program.
Now, students can only donate their unused Tetra points to “expand” the new SSI program, according to the campuswide email.
Taylor Breshears, the associate director of the SSI, said that students can expect to receive a similar number of donations with the new program.
“We prioritize students who are Pell-eligible and on need-based scholarship, live off campus, and do not have a meal plan,” Breshears wrote in an email to the Thresher on Aug. 5. “My hope and intention are for students who are recipients of the meal swipes in fall 2025 to have a comparable experience to recipients in the previous two semesters.”
This change comes two weeks after students raised concern about the new on-campus meal plan providing unlimited swipes for the student on the plan, but only 10 guest swipes.
Under the last plan, students would often swipe in their off-campus peers. However, this option for receiving meals may be less viable for students, leading to concerns about greater food insecurity.
Breshears wrote that her team will take into consideration the limited ability for students to swipe in their friends when determining need.
The email also encouraged students interested in advocating for food insecurity to join a new student group, called Stock The Nest. The group will support initiatives aimed at fighting food insecurity, such as assisting with the Rice Food Pantry.
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