Visi Money
TLDR:
Data from Rice University’s Survey of All Students (SAS) indicates a need for more off-campus housing and finance resources. Changes were made to the SAS to include questions about off-campus housing and student sentiment towards personal finances and off-campus housing. Additional questions aim to collect data for collaborative projects, such as developing off-campus population heat maps to determine shuttle routes. The SA also added questions about educational opportunities for personal finance. Student response leans towards negative sentiments about off-campus housing preparedness, prompting collaboration with the General Counsel’s Office to provide more information to students.
The Student Association (SA) at Rice University has implemented changes to the Survey of All Students (SAS) to collect data on off-campus housing and gauge student sentiment towards personal finances and off-campus housing. The SAS is a questionnaire that all students must complete prior to course registration. SA President Solomon Ni noted that this year’s SAS had the most major changes, primarily in the form of additional questions.
One of the additional questions on the SAS aims to collect data for collaborative projects. Students are asked to indicate the cross streets closest to their off-campus residence, which will be used to develop off-campus population heat maps in conjunction with graduate student data provided by the Graduate Student Association. This information will help determine shuttle routes that best serve the off-campus population.
According to Associate Vice President for Campus Services and Sustainability Rick Mello, Rice University is interested in any data or feedback that can help improve the student experience. The university plans to implement updated shuttle routes for off-campus students in the early to mid-spring 2024 semester.
Other questions on the SAS focus on off-campus housing, including whether it is easy to find off-campus housing and whether signing a lease is a clear process. Student response leans towards negative sentiments about preparedness, prompting collaboration with the General Counsel’s Office to provide more information on signing a lease. Jacob Coyle, a senior at Will Rice College, expressed the need for more university resources regarding off-campus housing, particularly for young adults navigating the renting process.
The SA also added questions to gauge student interest in educational opportunities for personal finance. The SA aims to collaborate with stakeholders on campus, such as the business school or the office of student success, to provide more resources in this area. Some students expressed interest in learning more about tax filing, and the SA is considering working with certified tax preparers to assist students with basic tax filing.
Overall, this semester’s SAS will serve as a pilot to gather data and feedback to determine how to best serve students moving forward. The SA hopes to address the need for more off-campus housing and finance resources based on the data collected.
