As college students may know, any glimpse of a red sticker with a “percent off” will have people whiplashed with the speed of heads turning. Students generally have low income, with just starting their adult lives, being well versed in resources does not come naturally. Between the grind of 12-15 credit hours a semester and the cost of living, any form of assistance is gladly accepted.
Whether young or more seasoned, fresh out of high school and not sure how to manage life, or have a family of their own, being a Los Rios Community College District student comes with a catalog of resources and discounts at each one’s disposal, from tech, health, food and entertainment.
Taylor Toledo, American River College’s public information officer, says the district’s constant pursuit to connect with the community has allowed for the list of these resources to grow.
“We are privileged to receive opportunities for discounts and partnerships organically through the district’s ongoing work, college foundations, and/or community partners,” Toledo said. “When these opportunities become available, we make sure to communicate them directly to students.”
1. Sacramento Kings tickets
Entertainment can be important for students. It can be a safe space to alleviate stress from day-to-day life and a popular medium for this is sports. The Sacramento Kings NBA team, for the last couple years has consistently ranked as a highly enjoyable team amongst NBA fans in recent years, and students are able to receive student discounts on game day tickets.
All that is needed is to sign up at the Kings’ student discount page with a LRCCD W-ID number email address and discount offers will be sent to the designated phone number.
For the ones who are more movie watchers than sports fanatics, Hulu and Amazon provide student discounts. With $1.99 a month for Hulu and a free 6-month trial of Student Prime that costs $7.49 after the trial period.
2. Tech
Being a LRCCD student and a California college student means that there are many options for free and low-cost technology options.
The most economical for LRCCD students would be to check out a Chromebook laptop from the library for the semester free of charge. Requirements are that a student must currently be enrolled in at least one class, have no outstanding library charges and have no other Chromebook currently loaned. For further questions visit the libraries answers page.
Other options include the College Buys website, run by the Foundation for California Community Colleges that provide discounts on software such as Adobe Creative Cloud. The software includes all the Adobe catalog like Photoshop, Lightroom and Bridge for a $40.99 6-month license, as well as internet and hardware through partnerships with Office Depot and CDW.
Also, a non-profit in Chico, Computers For Classrooms, offers lower-cost options for qualifying low-income households.
3. Food
At ARC, there is a pop-up produce pantry grab-and-go that is free to any student that is currently enrolled in at least one class and provides their W-ID number. The days of operation are every other Wednesday, and it runs through Dec. 18, it can be found in front of the library. Changes to the pantry are expected to occur after Dec. 18. Keeping an eye out for changes is advised.
On the ARC food resources website there are also links to sign up for CalFresh as well as a Nutritional Education Program.
4. Hub
Although this is not a discount in itself, it is a resource that is very helpful. Each school in the LRCCD has its own hub that is a collection of resources to help students quickly find any assistance that could be needed. These resources include food, housing, goods, such as clothing, and furniture, transit, health, work and legal assistance.
There are many resources for health, and two of the main resources for mental health being BetterMynd, Togetherall and Student Health and Wellness, which can be learned more about in “ARC offers therapy services and resources for students,” an article in the Current, or by visiting ARC’s student health and wellness page.
Another great resource that could potentially be the most important for this collection is the Money Matters Financial Wellness Series, which is a program offered by the LRCCD to educate students on becoming financially literate and how to manage money.
Click on the links provided to sign up and learn more about the programs provided.
However small the inconvenience or assistance that’s needed, make sure to understand there are resources to help.
