Thank you for this post and thorough review of all proposals, it's very useful.
I would like to note that students getting a free membership works as a trial period in reality (student status eventually expires and normal membership fees must be paid).
It also serves a way of attracting members of academia and their PhD research teams who could base their work on Steem rather than ______ blockchain. However this is not set in stone and can be removed / amended.
Seems completely reasonable when you explain it like this. I'll edit my thoughts a little to reflect this. As long as it is by approval for research it seems like a good idea actually. If it is some way to gain power, it would be risky.