Rice University hosts drive to house, assist international students over winter break

There’s no place like home for the holidays, but several of Rice University’s undergraduate international students won’t be returning to theirs this year. Given that residential colleges are closed for winter break, the university is encouraging willing parties to support these Owls during this special time.

Hosted by the Office of International Students and Scholars — International Connections (OISS), the International Holiday Hospitality Help Program aims to provide amenities such as low-cost/no-cost housing accommodations, meals and gift cards/cash. This year marks the first time OISS-International Connections has hosted a drive of this nature for the winter break.

“When the decision was made for the dorms to close over the break, we started getting inquiries from undergraduate students who couldn’t travel and were not sure what to do. What we came up with was to share the love by seeing if the Rice community would like to participate,” said Adria Baker, associate vice provost for international education and executive director of OISS-International Connections. “Since international students are far away from home, this gives them an opportunity to receive support from Rice community. This also gives the Rice community, who is always so welcoming, generous and hospitable, an opportunity to better interact with our international students. It’s a win-win for everybody.”