Food for thought: Food Insecurity among college students
Photo via Ohio University/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
Being a college student is emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting. A full-time student at Ohio University requires a minimum of 15 credit hours, on top of hours spent studying or working at an on-campus job. To maintain a hectic life as a college student, it is important to meet nutritional needs to have the energy, motivation and attitude it takes to fulfill daily duties. However, college students have a higher rate of food insecurity that is often ignored because of the normalization of food for efficiency and affordability. Food insecurity leads to a lack of nutritional needs being met, which further affects daily life, leading to mental health issues and physical illness, ultimately hindering students’ academic success.
Following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 3.8 million college students experienced food insecurity. For students experiencing food insecurity, this means they do not have access to enough food to maintain a sufficient dietary intake, skip meals to save money or eat significantly less to avoid running out of meals. Food insecurity has become a key issue for college students and has overarching negative effects on their well-being and academic success. Considering this, insecurity among students is largely unacknowledged due to the normalization of the college student diet, such as eating food that lacks nutrients, or ready-to-make foods like ramen or microwavable items. What is Ohio U doing to assist students facing hunger, and what can enhance their programs to fix the problem directly?
The USDA's Food and Nutrition Service and the Education Department's Office of Federal Student Aid collaborate to raise awareness among college students about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income individuals and families buy food using an Electronic Benefits Transfer card (EBT). However, in some instances, eligibility is often difficult to understand for students. The extensive application process and rules listing are deemed confusing for some students and may be hard to maintain eligibility due to the amount of hours students are able to work on top of school.
According to a survey done with Ohio U students:
In response to the graphs, some students left additional feedback. One student addressed assistance programs stating, “[It was] very challenging to apply for SNAP [and]EBT, even as a work-study college student. I had to fight with applications several times, despite being told I qualified several times.”
Other students expressed gratitude for on-campus culinary jobs, as they are able to get free meals at their shifts, although sometimes dining hall food is not something students look forward to. One student said, “I thankfully get free meals for working at Nelson Court, but I don't always want to eat dining hall food, especially since I know it's not the most hygienic or good.” Another student mentioned their inability to have enough nutritional food and asked a question directed at Ohio U, stating, “What can be done to find nourishing food at a cheap price?”
Catherine Lachman, the Basic Needs Coordinator at Ohio U, aids students and oversees programs supporting student access to basic needs, including the Cat’s Cupboard pantry and housing support. Lachman also helps to connect students to resources by setting up meetings in whatever manner the student feels comfortable. The goal of these programs at Ohio U is to help students address barriers to well-being like food insecurity and lack of necessary housing.
In an interview, Lachman made a point to mention that these problems are not limited to on-campus students, but off-campus or branch campus students as well, showing the expansive impact of food insecurity among college students.
Ohio U has aided the situation by offering programs and food assistance services for students, such as The Cat's Cupboard Food Pantry and the Meal Bank, both located at Baker Center. Students on campus can also easily donate items on the donation list or donate leftover meal swipes at certain times in the semester. Other programs like SNAP have been enforced through their websites to help students apply with ease. However, there are many eligibility restrictions put upon students and is shown here on campus from a report showing some students have had issues with eligibility when trying to apply.
Ohio U’s website highlights how to see the warning signs of struggling students, provides hands-on assistance, and provides ways to help students who are struggling with basic needs and may be too afraid to ask for help.
In discussing the overarching goal of food assistance programs at Ohio U, “We want to ensure students have awareness and access and capacity to any resources and supports that will help them improve their overall well being…and help them maintain their academic career…to really thrive,” Lachman said. “[Working] to remove those barriers contributing to poor physical or mental health or high-stress levels or feeling like they don't have what they need to be able to focus on their education.”
Lachman acknowledges the fact that it is hard to ask for help in situations like these and tries to incorporate ways to help however she can, stating, “I’m willing to interact and engage in any of those ways, whatever best meets the student’s needs and preferences.”
Ohio U has systems in place to assist students in need, although one of the largest problems within the food assistance programs is knowing they are there to help. Lachman and the Dean of Students office work to maintain pantry access and food drives on campus but there are some students who are unaware there are places they can go to get the nutritional food they need.
Ohio U Sociology and Anthropology professor Stephen Scanlan answered questions about food insecurity among students on campus and its effects on their success, as well as some factors surrounding prevalence.
“The typical number tossed around is around 30%, which is of course, greater than the general population,” Scanlan said. “Some say it is less, others say much more. It depends on whether the food insecurity is persistent or occasional, or a one-time thing. Regardless, college students are experiencing the issue and we are noticing it and paying attention more, as indicated by the rise of college-based pantries.”
Scanlan also mentioned the many factors for food insecurity among students, for example, low wages for student workers and the inability to work more than part-time because of academic guidelines or workload. Other factors he alludes to are high costs related to higher education, like tuition, room and board and increased numbers of student debt.
Scanlan said, “Other expenses ‘come first’ and food assistance is sought because charitable food is available—things like high rent, health care, transportation.” Oftentimes, food is at the bottom of the list when it comes to budgets because housing, textbooks and other lifestyle items seem more important. With this, Scanlan said, “Lately, the price of food has increased and will not fall once it becomes more expensive,” creating an even larger barrier to student food access.
Scanlan said, “The assumption is that those who are food insecure are not faring well—both in their coursework and also the ability to make progress. Food insecurity is associated with so many other things that make this challenging [for instance] health, housing and tuition cost struggles,” these challenges hinder one’s well-being and overall success in the end.
Lachman and Scanlan both mentioned that there are certain demographics that show higher numbers of food insecurity among students on campus. Scanlan states, “International students, some with families, are particularly vulnerable. Their budgets are already thin and the cost of living is more expensive than most experience back home.” Scanlan further mentioned other students that are particularly vulnerable including, “Poor and working-class families and disproportionately people of color. This is tied to larger systemic inequalities that disenfranchise certain segments of society.”
Student loans and financial aid are important for many college students to cover expenses like housing, tuition and school supplies, but do not aid students who are suffering with food insecurity. When asked how loans and aid play in exacerbating food insecurity, Scanlan mentions, “Sometimes students can obtain loans that are flexible and [can] be used for whatever expenses they need, but expanding on debt just to eat is not advisable and there needs to be other ways to address the issue. They cannot keep piling up the debt.”
There are many initiatives in place to assist students in need but the biggest demand is direct access. Scanlan and Lachman both highlighted the programs at Ohio U and expressed the extensive efforts in trying to reach indigent students. Scanlan also alluded to unionizing efforts between graduate students on campus “to increase wages and decrease the cost of insurance and other expenses, thus freeing up food money.” He additionally addressed other initiatives in place, stating, “[Programs] improve student worker wages or hold down the cost of eating on campus. In addition, it would be great if students could qualify for federal and/or state food assistance benefits, helping them access elusive food that is healthier.”