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Student Financial Wellness Survey - Latest Results

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Understand the connection between student financial stress and student success in college in Trellis’ Student Financial Wellness Survey.

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Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week - November 10-18, 2018

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Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week - November 10-18, 2018

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Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is an annual program where people come together across the country to draw attention to the problems of hunger and homelessness. Participating groups spend the week holding a series of educational, service, fundraising, and advocacy events.

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Many college students have always been willing to show up for free pizza, but when Texas Tech officials saw a growing number of students who were truly experiencing food insecurity, they acted to cre…

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Hunger and Homelessness Widespread Among College Students

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Hunger and Homelessness Widespread Among College Students

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Hunger And Homelessness Are Widespread Among College Students, Study Finds

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More than a third of them don’t have enough to eat and a similar number lack stable housing, according to a survey published Tuesday by researchers at Temple University and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab.

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A New Food Pantry on Campus Addresses the National University Food Crisis

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A New Food Pantry on Campus Addresses the National University Food Crisis

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UT Senior Seth Sageser never thought he would suffer from food insecurity. Until last fall, he didn't even know what the term meant. He had been at UT for one year. He was a good student and had just started his term as president of the Texas Transfer Students organization. His parents had always been supportive, but as a result of his mother going back to school and a falling out with his father, when he left their home in Fort Worth to go to college, Sageser was on his own financially. At first, he thought finding a paid job would be easy. But after months of unsuccessful applications and having to use the majority of his financial aid on rent, he started to buy in bulk and cut out meat and produce. Eventually, he limited himself to solely eating rice and cheese casseroles. There were times he couldn't bring himself to study and went to bed early instead-it was easier than being hungry.

When friends asked him to meet for dinner, go downtown, or even study together, he had to decline. After awhile, they stopped inviting him. "In my head it was rent, food, and then entertainment," he says. "If I can't afford the first two things, how am I going to afford anything else?"

For many UT students, focusing on their schoolwork, getting to class, or hanging out with friends is complicated by their silent stomach aches, caused by skipped or unbalanced meals.

According to a 2016 UT University Health Services survey, 23 percent of students suffered food insecurity, or the state of being without reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food. Director of Student Emergency Services (SES) Kelly Soucy says this can mean different things, from students who eat from dollar menus at fast food restaurants because they can't afford to buy groceries to students who manage to decrease their food budget to $10 a month, stretching a single can of beans across a couple of days. Spending so much time trying to put food on the table, she says, is a huge distraction to their academic success.

"If they're worried about where their next meal is going to come from, [then] they've got the physical sensations of hunger that are distracting in the classroom," she says. "Or they might be picking up multiple jobs to try and make ends meet and are not able to spend the time on their academics that they want to."

According to the largest national survey assessing the basic needs security of university students released April 3 by Temple University and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, 36 percent of university students reported being both food and housing insecure in the 30 days preceding the survey. Rising tuition and rent prices, increased competition for low-wage jobs, and strict work requirements to apply for food stamps cause students to have fewer ways to provide for themselves. The HOPE Lab suggests possible solutions to the campus hunger problem including providing "food scholarships" to students and families; fostering a host home system run by neighbors, faculty and staff, and alumni; and reducing on-campus food costs to as low as $1 per meal.

On May 2, SES revealed a new project to combat food insecurity: UT Outpost, which includes both a food pantry to provide students with no-cost food packets as well as a career closet, equipped with an array of professional clothing for students who may not be able to afford a new suit or dress for interviews or internships.

The food packets contain 16 to 18 meals and include things like canned beans and vegetables, cereals, and grains. They can be catered to dietary restrictions like gluten intolerance, nut allergies, or vegetarianism. SES coordinator Will Ross said students are not required to provide evidence of income or family size to use the pantry-services are available for any currently enrolled student.

"We know that sometimes survey data and requirements can be a barrier for someone who may think, 'I come from a really well-off family ... and I may not qualify,'" he says. "Sometimes students will self-select themselves out of getting these benefits-we want to make sure it's easy for [them]."

Ross says that while students who have used the pantry are relieved and feel acknowledged by the university, he and his team are still trying to address stigmas that may prevent students from participating. With at least 14 colleges in Texas having opened food pantries on campus, including Texas Tech and the University of North Texas in Denton, Longhorns are following the stead of many universities in addressing food insecurity while also offering peer-to-peer support for students.

"A lot of students don't like talking about the fact that they're struggling with this," Soucy says. "Even with our soft opening this semester, we've seen students feel embarrassed that they're having to come and ask for food when it's really more prevalent than people are understanding."

One of their main priorities moving forward is to continue educating UT on food insecurity. They're doing so by partnering with sustainability programs and departments on campus to create events where administrators like Ross can provide information and spread the word on how students can get involved.

And some already have. In February, Texas Transfer Students, Texas Sunshines, Student Veterans Association, and Students Over 25 joined forces to collect over $1,000 worth of food to be donated to the pantry while it was getting off the ground.

Sageser says one of his focuses this year was giving back to UT's campus. Although he landed a paid internship this semester and doesn't consider himself food insecure at the moment, he has a heightened awareness of the campus issue now after struggling with it his junior year. When he learned transfer students have a higher rate of food insecurity than most students, he realized how important it was that TTS build a relationship with the program, whether that was by hosting food drives, helping stock the pantry, or simply bringing up its existence casually in conversation so students know what is available to them. He is currently working with Ross and the incoming TTS president to establish an annual or semesterly drive. Soucy says they're also working to collect new data to find out if there are groups of students on campus they need to work more closely with because of higher food insecurity rates.

Ultimately, the sustainability of the program will depend on the community effort and its student leaders.

"The best part about starting something new is it exponentially grows," Sageser says. "As more people use it, I think that puts a little bit of pressure on the university [to question] how expensive food on campus actually is for students or to provide cans to the pantry. I don't know what the solution is, but you can keep trying ideas until you find something."
Credit: Thinkstock

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A New Food Pantry on Campus Addresses the National University Food Crisis

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UT Senior Seth Sageser never thought he would suffer from food insecurity. Until last fall, he didn't even know what the term meant. He had been at UT for one year. He was a good student and had just started his term as president of the Texas Transfer Students organization.

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The Hope Center is driving the #RealCollege movement to assist students' basic needs for food and housing. Donate to support #RealCollege students.

The #RealCollege Virtual Journey

Join us on March 31 for the Kickoff of the #RealCollege Virtual Journey & A Conversation on the Implications of the 2020 #RealCollege Survey. The Hope Center is offering the #RealCollege Virtual Journey, a free nine-month series of programs focused on information, policy, and practices affecting Basic Needs Insecurity in higher education. Our opening webinar will focus on #RealCollege 2020: Basic Needs Insecurity During the Ongoing Pandemic and our new 2021 survey. Click here for more details and to sign up for this series.

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice & Believe in Students are collaborating on the #RealCollege Blog.

Students are humans first.

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice is redefining what it means to be a student-ready college, with a national movement centering #RealCollege students' basic needs. Food, affordable housing, transportation, childcare, and mental health are central conditions for learning. Without those needs met, far too many students leave college in debt and without degrees.

We are conducting action research and fighting for the resources and supports to help #RealCollege students succeed.

The evidence is clear- enrollment and retention are falling, financial precarity is a key cause, and emergency aid can help

As higher education confronts a global pandemic and widespread declines in college attendance, The Hope Center for College, Community, and

The launch comes as the #RealCollege Movement turns 5! December 4, 2020 PHILADELPHIA - The Hope Center for College, Community

Join the #RealCollege Movement

Sign up to receive actionable information to support #RealCollege students twice a month via our newsletter, along with important breaking news.

"Hungry to Learn" available for free on Yahoo

After years of being ignored, students experiencing food insecurity are finally taken seriously in Soledad O'Brien's important new documentary Hungry to Learn. It's a critical investigation into the what students need now to succeed. Everyone who cares about college, works in a college, or is committed to America's economic recovery should view this documentary and commit to action. Given the current health and economic crisis, there's never been a more important time.

Thanks to Yahoo, the documentary is now available to stream for free. Seize this opportunity. Show the doc to your colleagues and students. Educate policymakers, fund raise for basic needs programs, and spread the word about the realities of #RealCollege. Share what you do with us at #RealCollege and #HungryToLearn on social media.

#RealCollege

Join the #RealCollege movement to support students' basic needs!

Projects

Check out our many partnerships focused on changing practice, policy, and public perceptions.

Research and Resources

Read our research and find resources to support your work on campus and in your community.

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The Hope Center | For College, Community, and Justice

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Join us on March 31 for the Kickoff of the #RealCollege Virtual Journey & A Conversation on the Implications of the 2020 #RealCollege Survey. The Hope Center is offering the #RealCollege Virtual Journey, a free nine-month series of programs focused on information, policy, and practices affecting Basic Needs Insecurity in higher education.

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#RealCollege Conference in Houston in 2019

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#RealCollege Conference in Houston in 2019

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The Hope Center is driving the #RealCollege movement to assist students' basic needs for food and housing. Donate to support #RealCollege students.

The #RealCollege Virtual Journey

Join us on March 31 for the Kickoff of the #RealCollege Virtual Journey & A Conversation on the Implications of the 2020 #RealCollege Survey. The Hope Center is offering the #RealCollege Virtual Journey, a free nine-month series of programs focused on information, policy, and practices affecting Basic Needs Insecurity in higher education. Our opening webinar will focus on #RealCollege 2020: Basic Needs Insecurity During the Ongoing Pandemic and our new 2021 survey. Click here for more details and to sign up for this series.

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice & Believe in Students are collaborating on the #RealCollege Blog.

Students are humans first.

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice is redefining what it means to be a student-ready college, with a national movement centering #RealCollege students' basic needs. Food, affordable housing, transportation, childcare, and mental health are central conditions for learning. Without those needs met, far too many students leave college in debt and without degrees.

We are conducting action research and fighting for the resources and supports to help #RealCollege students succeed.

The evidence is clear- enrollment and retention are falling, financial precarity is a key cause, and emergency aid can help

As higher education confronts a global pandemic and widespread declines in college attendance, The Hope Center for College, Community, and

The launch comes as the #RealCollege Movement turns 5! December 4, 2020 PHILADELPHIA - The Hope Center for College, Community

Join the #RealCollege Movement

Sign up to receive actionable information to support #RealCollege students twice a month via our newsletter, along with important breaking news.

"Hungry to Learn" available for free on Yahoo

After years of being ignored, students experiencing food insecurity are finally taken seriously in Soledad O'Brien's important new documentary Hungry to Learn. It's a critical investigation into the what students need now to succeed. Everyone who cares about college, works in a college, or is committed to America's economic recovery should view this documentary and commit to action. Given the current health and economic crisis, there's never been a more important time.

Thanks to Yahoo, the documentary is now available to stream for free. Seize this opportunity. Show the doc to your colleagues and students. Educate policymakers, fund raise for basic needs programs, and spread the word about the realities of #RealCollege. Share what you do with us at #RealCollege and #HungryToLearn on social media.

#RealCollege

Join the #RealCollege movement to support students' basic needs!

Projects

Check out our many partnerships focused on changing practice, policy, and public perceptions.

Research and Resources

Read our research and find resources to support your work on campus and in your community.

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The Hope Center | For College, Community, and Justice

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Join us on March 31 for the Kickoff of the #RealCollege Virtual Journey & A Conversation on the Implications of the 2020 #RealCollege Survey. The Hope Center is offering the #RealCollege Virtual Journey, a free nine-month series of programs focused on information, policy, and practices affecting Basic Needs Insecurity in higher education.

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The Hope Center for College, Community & Justice

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The Hope Center for College, Community & Justice

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Students are humans first.

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice is redefining what it means to be a student-ready college, with a national movement centering on #RealCollege™ students' basic needs. Reliable and consistent access to affordable food, housing, transportation, technology, familial care, and health care is a central condition for learning. Without those needs met, far too many students leave college in debt and without degrees.

We Just Launched the #RealCollege HBCU Coalition!

The Hope Center is partnering with the Center for the Study of HBCUs for the #RealCollege HBCU initiative. HBCUs have been continuously underfunded at both the state and federal levels, which has only been exacerbated during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Through this partnership, we will provide 10 HBCUs with the training and support they need to build and sustain basic needs programs for their students.

We are conducting action research and fighting for the resources and supports to help #RealCollege™ students succeed.

Roughly one-in-five college students provide primary care to at least one child while pursuing a higher education credential. Parenting students...

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic's impacts on higher education have been widely examined as academic disruptions, social isolation, and financial instability...

Black History Month is an opportunity to grapple with and name the history of state-sanctioned and interpersonal violence that Black...

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice is driving the #RealCollege™ movement to assist students' basic needs for food and housing. Donate to support #RealCollege™ students.

Join the #RealCollege™ Movement

Sign up to receive actionable information to support #RealCollege students twice a month via our newsletter, along with important breaking news.

#RealCollege™

Join the #RealCollege™ movement to support students' basic needs!

Projects

Check out our many partnerships focused on changing practice, policy, and public perceptions.

Research and Resources

Read our research and find resources to support your work on campus and in your community.

"Hungry to Learn" available for free on Yahoo

After years of being ignored, students experiencing food insecurity are finally taken seriously in Soledad O'Brien's important new documentary Hungry to Learn. It's a critical investigation into what students need now to succeed. Everyone who cares about college, works in a college, or is committed to America's economic recovery should view this documentary and commit to action. Given the current health and economic crisis, there's never been a more important time.

Thanks to Yahoo, the documentary is now available to stream for free. Seize this opportunity. Show the doc to your colleagues and students. Educate policymakers, fundraise for basic needs programs, and spread the word about the realities of #RealCollege. Share what you do with us at #RealCollege and #HungryToLearn on social media.

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The Hope Center | For College, Community, and Justice

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The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice is redefining what it means to be a student-ready college, with a national movement centering on #RealCollege™ students' basic needs. Reliable and consistent access to affordable food, housing, transportation, technology, familial care, and health care is a central condition for learning.

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Lawmakers Hear About the Impact of Food Insecurity

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Lawmakers Hear About the Impact of Food Insecurity

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Lawmakers Hear About Impact of Food Insecurity on College Campuses

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Food insecurity is widespread on American college campuses. Students do not have enough food to feed themselves and sometimes their families as well. We created the College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA) to provide support, training, and resources to campus-based food banks/pantries and other food-insecurity initiatives that primarily serve students.

This report demonstrates that significant financial, physical, and personnel resources are being invested in campus pantries. The CUFBA members who participated in this survey helped to shed needed light on the work involved in operating pantries and offered valuable insight into how to improve them. For that we are grateful.
Click here to read our full report, released on September 27, 2018

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Campus Food Pantries: Insights from a National Survey

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Food insecurity is widespread on American college campuses. Students do not have enough food to feed themselves and sometimes their families as well. We created the College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA) to provide support, training, and resources to campus-based food banks/pantries and other food-insecurity initiatives that primarily serve students.

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Suggestions for Activities

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Sample Calendar

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The Hope Center is driving the #RealCollege movement to assist students' basic needs for food and housing. Donate to support #RealCollege students.

The #RealCollege Virtual Journey

Join us on March 31 for the Kickoff of the #RealCollege Virtual Journey & A Conversation on the Implications of the 2020 #RealCollege Survey. The Hope Center is offering the #RealCollege Virtual Journey, a free nine-month series of programs focused on information, policy, and practices affecting Basic Needs Insecurity in higher education. Our opening webinar will focus on #RealCollege 2020: Basic Needs Insecurity During the Ongoing Pandemic and our new 2021 survey. Click here for more details and to sign up for this series.

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice & Believe in Students are collaborating on the #RealCollege Blog.

Students are humans first.

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice is redefining what it means to be a student-ready college, with a national movement centering #RealCollege students' basic needs. Food, affordable housing, transportation, childcare, and mental health are central conditions for learning. Without those needs met, far too many students leave college in debt and without degrees.

We are conducting action research and fighting for the resources and supports to help #RealCollege students succeed.

The evidence is clear- enrollment and retention are falling, financial precarity is a key cause, and emergency aid can help

As higher education confronts a global pandemic and widespread declines in college attendance, The Hope Center for College, Community, and

The launch comes as the #RealCollege Movement turns 5! December 4, 2020 PHILADELPHIA - The Hope Center for College, Community

Join the #RealCollege Movement

Sign up to receive actionable information to support #RealCollege students twice a month via our newsletter, along with important breaking news.

"Hungry to Learn" available for free on Yahoo

After years of being ignored, students experiencing food insecurity are finally taken seriously in Soledad O'Brien's important new documentary Hungry to Learn. It's a critical investigation into the what students need now to succeed. Everyone who cares about college, works in a college, or is committed to America's economic recovery should view this documentary and commit to action. Given the current health and economic crisis, there's never been a more important time.

Thanks to Yahoo, the documentary is now available to stream for free. Seize this opportunity. Show the doc to your colleagues and students. Educate policymakers, fund raise for basic needs programs, and spread the word about the realities of #RealCollege. Share what you do with us at #RealCollege and #HungryToLearn on social media.

#RealCollege

Join the #RealCollege movement to support students' basic needs!

Projects

Check out our many partnerships focused on changing practice, policy, and public perceptions.

Research and Resources

Read our research and find resources to support your work on campus and in your community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Hope Center | For College, Community, and Justice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Join us on March 31 for the Kickoff of the #RealCollege Virtual Journey & A Conversation on the Implications of the 2020 #RealCollege Survey. The Hope Center is offering the #RealCollege Virtual Journey, a free nine-month series of programs focused on information, policy, and practices affecting Basic Needs Insecurity in higher education.

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College and University Food Bank Alliance

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College and University Food Bank Alliance

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Hunger among college students is a growing problem. Steve Cukrov/Shutterstock

It's hard, if not impossible, to succeed in college if you're hungry. Seems like such an easy concept that it's not worth mentioning.

But behind that simple concept are some staggering statistics. According to the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, more than 50 percent of community college students nationwide do not have access to healthy and affordable foods.

As a researcher who focuses on poverty, I believe campus hunger is a significant factor behind inequality in college completion rates. And "food scholarships" may be a solution.

Some elected officials have begun to take notice. Last summer, Gov. Jerry Brown of California included US$7.5 million in his budget to develop "hunger-free" college campuses. In December, advocates convened a federal briefing about campus food insecurity on Capitol Hill, where legislators are advancing bills to make it easier for undergraduates to access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more commonly known as SNAP.

In January, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed requiring food pantries on all State University of New York and City University of New York campuses to create a "stigma-free" way to provide students with consistent access to healthy food.

In other states, such as Texas, grassroots efforts are leading the charge. These include a University of Houston and Temple University research project with which I am involved. The project is meant to study the impact of hunger on community college students and look at possible solutions.

Hunger transcends class

Who are the students that don't have access to healthy and affordable food?

According to Sara Goldrick-Rab, a sociology professor at Temple University and founder of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, what's making students go hungry today is different than it was in years gone by.

"Even though a far greater percentage of college students qualify for financial aid than in the past, colleges and states have fewer dollars per student to allocate to them," Goldrick-Rab said.

The majority of these students are financially independent and provide for others. Many are single parents. They grew up in the middle class and did not qualify for reduced-cost or free meals during their K-12 education through the federally funded School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program.

But once they graduate high school, parental support often ends and so do the programs meant to help feed them.

These are the students like 25 year-old Ashley Elliot at Houston Community College, who lost both parents and was left in debt, according to officials at the college. With a 3.5 GPA, Elliot is determined to finish school despite mounting financial challenges.

Food scholarships

Eighty-eight percent of the students at Houston Community College, polled last semester indicated that food giveaways helped them focus more on school, according to a survey by the college. This is why food scholarships are being pursued as a solution.

The Houston Food Bank's Food for Change program seeks to help students by providing them with 60 pounds of food. The groceries available include seasonal produce, frozen meat, dry goods and some canned goods. Goldrick-Rab, the sociology professor at Temple University, and I are evaluating the program in a project supported by the William T. Grant Foundation and the Kresge Foundation.

We believe it's the kind of program that could bring real change to those who need it most. At the Houston Independent School District, the largest school district in Texas and the seventh-largest school district in the United States, 77 percent of children are economically disadvantaged and qualify for the reduced-cost or free breakfast and lunch programs. A number of these students graduate and enroll in community college, including Houston Community College, the second largest community college in Texas.

These students receive financial aid, but the fact that the cost of tuition is outpacing the cost of living is making it difficult to make ends meet. Once in college, students who experience food insecurity are at risk for academic failure, including lower grade point averages.

A potential solution

The impact of HCC's Food Scholarship Program on students' academic performance and persistence in college will be evaluated over the next two years. If the program helps students do better in college and stay in college, those outcomes could help convince lawmakers and policymakers to do more to tackle the problem of campus hunger.

In the meantime, students such as Ashley Elliot say it's important for students to overcome whatever reluctance they may have to ask for help. "Asking for help took me out of my comfort zone, but it was necessary," Elliot said. "Don't give up if you don't initially get the help you need. Sometimes it takes just talking to the right person."

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Food scholarships could help more students finish college

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It's hard, if not impossible, to succeed in college if you're hungry. Seems like such an easy concept that it's not worth mentioning. But behind that simple concept are some staggering statistics. According to the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, more than 50 percent of community college students nationwide do not have access to healthy and affordable foods.

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LSC-University Park to host SNAP Challenge, targets food insecurity

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Lone Star College was founded in 1973 and offers Associate Degrees, Workforce Certificates and Transfer Credits.

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by Sara Goldrick-Rab

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Today I'm at Mary Washington College where I'm giving a keynote address at the Digital Pedagogy Lab bout a critical condition for learning: basic needs security. It's shame that anyone needs a reminder of the cold hard fact that adequate nutritious food and a good night's sleep are required for learning college material, but let's be honest - there's plenty of evidence that higher education is in the dark. I'm planning to challenge my audience to think about how we support every learner's need for food and housing in an age of harsh and unforgiving inequality and a shredded safety net.

This morning while preparing for my talk I was also working to finish the syllabus for my first class at Temple University. (I didn't teach last year while I was on the road educating policymakers, practitioners, faculty, and students about Paying the Price and launching two federal research studies.) Mine is a course for masters degree students in our higher education program meant to equip them with the skills they need to attend to equity when working on college access and success. We'll be working to unpack concepts such as "college readiness," exploring the dimensions of inequality that shape our students' lives, and discuss actions that practitioners can take when preparing students for college and supporting them while they attend college. Several weeks will be spent discussing the impacts of poverty and systemic racism on college outcomes and ways to use both internal collaborations and strategic external partnerships to ensure that such challenges to contain the harm such things do to the odds that students will complete degrees.

I thought the syllabus was finally finished, having just added the series of requisite College of Education policies (on things like plagiarism, attendance, etc.), when suddenly I realize that something was missing. And then I began crafting a statement on basic needs security, appending it to the set of policies. This was a first for me, but it felt necessary and internally consistent with the course. Here's what it says:
Any student who faces challenges securing their food or housing and believes this may affect their performance in the course is urged to contact the Dean of Students for support. Furthermore, please notify the professor if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable her to provide any resources that she may possess.
I added those three sentences because acknowledging that all students (including graduate students) face real financial challenges that could affect how they do in class, lets students know that I know this and care a lot about it, and help direct them to both support and resources. At the same time, I am not prepared to field every request and know that the Dean of Students at my university is terrific and her team is ready to help.

Is this the right thing to do? Will it also help accomplish another goal - communicating to my students that a classroom of learners is, in my mind, a sort of family? Is this language exactly right? Will they respond to it as intended? I don't know. But I'm glad I put it there and this afternoon it became the topic of discussion at a Virtually Connecting session during the Lab.

That discussion was revealing. I learned that some of my colleagues aren't allowed to modify their syllabi at all. That ed-tech software is used to examine what they write on their syllabi and ensure "compliance." That the syllabus is apparently more of a legal "contract" (a poor name for it, as my colleagues in the VC pointed out) than a learning tool. Hmmm...

All of that's troubling. But for those of us who can, we should push on. The language we use may need to be tailored to our students. If I were addressing undergraduates, my statement might look more like this:
Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the Dean of Students for support. Furthermore, please notify the professor if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable her to provide any resources that she may possess.
That's even more transparent and specific than what I originally wrote. Maybe it's what I will put on the syllabus for the undergraduate honors course I'm teaching this spring. After all, it's called Paying the Price: Inequality and American Higher Education. It seems appropriate.

PS. I gave the keynote. And had completely forgotten that this syllabus idea was on one of the slides!

PPS. Faculty - after reading this post, please take this quick survey! Thanks.

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Today I'm at Mary Washington College where I'm giving a keynote address at the Digital Pedagogy Lab bout a critical condition for learning: basic needs security. It's shame that anyone needs a reminder of the cold hard fact that adequate nutritious food and a good night's sleep are required for learning college material, but let's be honest - there's plenty of evidence that higher education is in the dark.

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Students Face Food Insecurity

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Facing years of student loans and employment insecurity ahead of them, many college students are already struggling to put food on the table.

More than a third of college students at four-year institutions in the U.S. have felt "food insecure" at some point in the past 30 days, according to a survey published earlier this month by researchers at Temple University and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. The study defines food insecurity as "the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or the ability to acquire such foods in a socially acceptable manner."

The issue of student hunger is not widely discussed, but it plagues students across the nation, including right here at the College.

Some students find they are eating smaller portions and even skipping meals because they cannot afford to pay for food.

"Sometimes I have to rationalize that I need to eat," said Olivia Grasing, a junior journalism and professional writing major.

Though this nationwide study is the first of its kind, researchers hypothesize the problem has been escalating in recent years because while tuition costs are rapidly rising, more low-in come students are enrolling in four-year institutions, seeking a chance for upward mobility through scholarships and grant programs.

A study published last year in the international review journal, "Advances in Nutrition," showed that students who suffer from food insecurity report high levels of stress, poor quality of sleep and lower GPAs. Hunger adversely impacts students' physical ability to focus, and the psychological stress of seeking out food further contributes to an increase in anxiety.

The College offers a variety of dining options on campus, mostly centered around a meal plan. The Carte Blanche meal plans allow unlimited access to The Atrium in Eickhoff Hall. Students can swipe in whenever the cafeteria is open, and get as much food as they can eat while they are still in the facility.

Any student, regardless of whether they are a residential student or a commuter, can purchase this plan.

However, these plans cost at minimum $3,620.61, which some students simply cannot afford.

After living on campus for a year, Lorena LiMato, a senior music education major, started commuting from home to save money.

"I feel like there's a whole stereotype that people our age don't have money concerns and it just makes me sad because people assume my parents pay for everything, and I have to tell them 'no,'" LiMato said. "They help me out when they can, but not for everything and I feel it - it's really stressful."

Other meal plans are much cheaper, but do not offer unlimited access to Eickhoff. For the A la Carte, Apartment and House plans, every point equals one dollar, and once they spend all of their points, they must pay out of pocket. Students can also pay for Block Plans, which cover either 25 or 50 meals at Eickhoff. The plan carries over the entire academic year.

LiMato paid for her own Block Plan this academic year, but ran out of meals near the beginning of the semester.

"Most of my paycheck goes to food and gas and that's basically it," she said. "So it makes it hard to save money for anything else. The time that I do have to realistically work more goes into getting here."

Purchasing a meal plan at the College is required for all residential students at the College, but 42 percent of students who attend the College live off campus, according to US News. Many upperclassmen move off campus, not only to gain a sense of independence, but to save some money as well.

"Having a job helps, but now that I don't have a meal plan, not having enough groceries is in the back of my mind," Grasing said. "When the money comes out of my account, that's a big stress factor to see the balance go lower, but at the same time I know I'm spending on things that I need to survive."

Still, some students struggle to pay their rent, let alone buy groceries. According to the Temple University and Wisconsin HOPE Lab study, 36 percent of college students in the U.S. struggle with housing insecurity, which includes a wide variety of challenges, including the inability to pay rent every month. 9 percent of students at four-year colleges have slept in shelters or lacked a consistent place to sleep in the past year.

As a result of this growing issue, student-run food pantries have been opening up on college campuses all over the country. Over 570 campus food pantries across the nation are part of the College and University Food Bank Alliance, which helps colleges establish food pantries and develop other programs to address campus hunger, according to AP News.

Rider University joined the swelling list in early February of this year.

Some other colleges allow students to donate extra points or swipes to students in need, according to The New York Times.

In 2013, a New York University graduate student created an app called Share Meals that connects students with a surplus of points with students who are food insecure. The app also has a place for organizations to post information about events that include free food.

"The Dean of Students' office has been thinking about this issue for the last couple of years, as more and more students are being referred to our office that are experiencing food and housing insecurity issues," said Kelly Hennessy, the associate dean of students at the College.

In the past year, an emergency fund called Lions Lifting Lions was created to help students who are unable to pay for essential expenses like food and housing. Current students who have exhausted their financial resources can apply for a one-time fund that never has to be repaid.

Hennessy's efforts to address this issue do not stop there. Student Affairs has also been collaborating with Mercer Street Friends to potentially develop plans for a food pantry on campus.

Hennessy said she feels the College needs to understand more about the needs of the campus community.

"I have reached out to Wisconsin HOPE Labs to request to be part of the next survey," she said. "We are hoping to administer the survey within the first four weeks of fall 2018 semester. We have already secured funding to be part of their research. Our hope is that data will help us understand the need on our campus so we can understand how to best address them."

In the meantime, Mercer Street Friends provides bags of food to students in need. Sodexo and the College's Dining Services have also provided the dean of students' office with some small meal blocks to give to students currently experiencing food insecurity, according to Hennessy.

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Facing years of student loans and employment insecurity ahead of them, many college students are already struggling to put food on the table. More than a third of college students at four-year institutions in the U.S.

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Please note, the Ram Pantry has been temporarily moved to the second floor of the Houston Harte University Center in Room 210. Our hours remain the same and you can still fill out our form below!

The Ram Pantry addresses immediate food needs for students on campus. Located in the Multicultural and Student Activities Programs Office, the Ram Pantry provides free non-perishable food items and toiletries for ASU students in need.

This service is available to any enrolled ASU student who may be facing a difficult financial time and needs assistance. Food nutrition is an essential key to academic success, and we want to see you succeed.

You can request items by filling out our Food Pantry Request Form , or send us an email at multicultural@angelo.edu with your specific needs. We'll put together a care package for you to pick up. Please make sure to bring your ASU OneCard.

Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

*Hours subject to change.

Donations to the Ram Pantry

If you would like to donate food or hygiene products to the Ram Pantry, you can deliver them to Multicultural and Student Activities Programs, located in Room 114 of the Houston Harte University Center.

If you have a large donation, please contact our office at 325-942-2729 so we can help you unload. Please note, we do not accept opened or expired products.

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Please note, the Ram Pantry has been temporarily moved to the second floor of the Houston Harte University Center in Room 210. Our hours remain the same and you can still fill out our form below! The Ram Pantry addresses immediate food needs for students on campus.

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San Jose State University Food Resources

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San Jose State University Food Resources

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How to Help

Make a donation on the Roadrunner Pantry website by clicking the Donate Money button on the top right corner.

Safe While Serving

The Student Union is committed to the safety of our staff and visitors. Staff are following these guidelines found on the UTSA website.

Call us at 210.458.EATS (3287) or email us at RoadrunnerPantry@utsa.edu for more information.

The mission of the UTSA Student Union is to support the educational mission of the University of Texas at San Antonio by maintaining facilities, providing services and promoting programs that will enrich the quality of student life.

The Roadrunner Pantry began as an idea between students, faculty, and staff at UTSA. The UTSA Student Union, realizing the true need to provide the basic necessity of nutritious food to students struggling with food access and insecurity, and through rigorous research of current higher education practices, established the Roadrunner Pantry.

Opening in March 2017, this new and important initiative supports the mission of serving our students to help them in reaching academic excellence during their time of need. The UTSA Student Union Food Pantry helps students reach their full academic and personal potential, by providing access to healthy and nutritious foods.

Main campus: 210-458-EATS (3287)
Downtown campus: 210-458-CANS (2267)
Email: RoadrunnerPantry@utsa.edu

The Whataburger Resource Room opened in February 2020 in the Durango Building (DBB 1.306) to serve UTSA students on the Downtown Campus. Read more about the partnership with UTSA and Whataburger at UTSA Today

Pantry Access

The Roadrunner Pantry is open to all students in need with a valid UTSA ID. See below for current operating hours or email RoadrunnerPantry@utsa.edu for more information.

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Roadrunner Pantry | UTSA Student Union | UTSA

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Make a donation on the Roadrunner Pantry website by clicking the Donate Money button on the top right corner. The Student Union is committed to the safety of our staff and visitors. Staff are following these guidelines found on the UTSA website. Call us at 210.458.EATS (3287) or email us at RoadrunnerPantry@utsa.edu for more information.

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Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is an annual program where people come together across the country to draw attention to the problems of hunger and homelessness. Participating groups spend the week holding a series of educational, service, fundraising, and advocacy events.

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....by Leo Tolstoy

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Hungry College Students Turning to Food Pantries for Help

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Hungry College Students Turning to Food Pantries for Help

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Hungry college students turning to food pantries for help

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A Striking Number of College Students are Hungry and Homeless

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A Striking Number of College Students are Hungry and Homeless

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A Striking Number of College Students Are Hungry and Homeless

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Swipe Out Hunger | Student-Led Solutions to College Food Insecurity

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One in three college students experience food insecurity. We work with colleges and universities to address hunger on campus.

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Donor to Diner (D2D) is a service organization that aids and advocates for students facing food insecurity.

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National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness

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Home | National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness

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We organize college students to end hunger and homelessness through education, organizing, and fundraising.