Rice University's new Saturday dinners may keep students 'within the hedges'

Students walk past the statue of Rice University founder William Marsh Rice between classes. Click through to see how college costs have changed in Texas over the last 18 years. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle ) less Students walk past the statue of Rice University founder William Marsh Rice between classes. Click through to see how college costs have changed in Texas over the last 18 years. ( Brett Coomer / Houston ... more Photo: Brett Coomer, HC Staff Photo: Brett Coomer, HC Staff Image 1 of / 39 Caption Close Rice University's new Saturday dinners may keep students 'within the hedges' 1 / 39 Back to Gallery

Rice University students can now stay within the hedges for Saturday dinners, a break from a university tradition that aimed to encourage students to explore Houston.

The university will now include Saturday dinners in an on-campus meal plan, Rice’s student association said. Two dining halls – North College and Seibel – will serve food during that time period, according to the group. The meal plan’s cost will not change.

Requiring students to eat off campus once a week was “inconvenient or financially straining” to many students, Rice’s student association said in a statement.

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The sentiment echoed that of a student newspaper editorial published last September: “Going off campus for Saturday night dinners is a long-standing tradition for many, with students generally being encouraged to go ‘beyond the hedges’ and explore the city of Houston. However, we may sometimes forget that this is just one of many aspects of social life at Rice that requires a certain degree of economic privilege.”

The hedges that line Rice’s campus have long been a metaphor for a bubble of campus life at the elite university, separating Rice students from the city beyond.

At President David Leebron’s 2004 inauguration, sprigs of greenery were placed on many tables, symbolizing Rice’s desire to take down these obstacles between the university and the city.

“We cannot allow our hedges to be barriers either for the engagement of our students with Houston or the engagement of Houston with Rice,” he said at his inauguration.

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His administration gave students free light rail and museum passes, and a 2007 program dubbed “Passport to Houston” provided unlimited Houston Zoo access.

A “Hedgehopper” program encourages businesses around the city to give Rice students discounts on restaurants and services like dry cleaning.

But recent campus conversations at Rice and nationwide have focused on college accessibility and the unexpected costs beyond tuition – like textbooks, for example – that contribute to an increasingly costly degree.

The student assembly’s post was largely cheered on social media. The Rice Thresher reported in March that Rice’s residential colleges would subsidize certain social life costs, encouraging students to attend Rice social events such as Beer Bike. The initiatives aim to make campus programming accessible and appealing to all students, regardless of income.

At least one administrator has acknowledged a shift in outlook at the elite private campus, which has been vocal in trying to enroll low-income students.

“Saturday dinner is purposefully not there because the idea was that students would go beyond the hedges Saturday night,” Rice’s housing and dining services director David McDonald told the Rice Thresher in September. “But now we are in a different situation. We’re in an age where not everybody has enough capital to be able to go beyond the hedges.”

Lindsay Ellis writes about higher education for the Chronicle. You can follow her on Twitter and send her tips at lindsay.ellis@chron.com.