LIVING @ RICE UNIVERSITY

At most universities, the word "college" refers to the entire institution, to the undergraduate programs, or to a particular academic division. At Rice, "college" is a way of life. Rice's residential college system lies at the core of every under-graduate's experience.

Every undergraduate student, whether living on campus or not, is a member of one of nine coeducational residential colleges, each of which is self-governed. Each college has a college master or masters, one of whom must be a member of the Rice faculty, who live in a house adjacent to the college, usually with their family. The masters, whose authority derives from the president of the university, have the overall responsibility for all aspects of student life in the college, including encouragement of broad cultural and intellectual interests, caring for the well-being of the self and others, and effective self-government within the college. Other members of the faculty are invited, upon agreement of the student members and the masters, to become resident and nonresident associates of the college. Faculty associates act as advisors to the students and participate in the camaraderie and activities of the college. Colleges also have nonfaculty university associates and community associates from the Houston area, drawn from various professions.

Each college building includes a commons area that serves as a dining hall as well as public rooms, which are available to both resident and nonresident members, and living quarters for approximately 230 students from all classes and all academic disciplines. Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available in some colleges. Presently, on-campus residential space is available for most of the first-year students who request it, but space is not assured until receipt of formal notification from the assigned residential college. Since the demand exceeds the available space, continuing students draw for the available space by the priority and lottery system established in each college. Most colleges are able to provide on-campus housing for three of a student's four years at Rice, and reasonable accommodations are available within close proximity to Rice for those who do not receive or choose to receive on-campus housing.