Basic Needs Insecurity on College Campuses: A Growing Issue

Published in

Griz Renter Blog

4 min readJul 10, 2019

Basic needs insecurity is a growing issue on college campuses in the U.S. According to the 2018 Real College survey, approximately 48% of community college students and 41% of university students are food insecure, up from 42% and 36% the previous year, respectively. Approximately 60% of community college students and 48% of university students are housing insecure, up from 46% and 36% the previous year, respectively. Approximately 18% of community college students and 14% of university students are homeless, up from 12% and 9% the previous year, respectively. This phenomenon, along with the college student debt crisis, is unethical and unsustainable. But even with soaring tuition rates, and financial aid not increasing relative to them, attending college is still in everyone’s best economic interest. According to studies, college graduates make on average hundreds of thousands of dollars more in their lifetime than those who do not attend college, even when adjusted for taxes and college debt. College graduates also tend to have more job stability. But if things remain the same, this may not be true in the future.

It’s the thought that counts. Meme courtesy of https://avocadoughtoast.com/student-loan-memes/.

Data Analysis

Basic needs insecurity is more common among college students than the U.S. population as a whole. Some colleges have higher rates of basic needs insecurity than others. Certain demographics are more basic needs insecure than others. But regardless of these differences, basic needs insecurity affects all types of people, and must be addressed immediately.

At the University of Montana, the rate of basic needs insecurity is very high. Approximately 42% of its students are food insecure, 55% are housing insecure, and 28% are homeless. Though its rate of food insecurity is only slightly higher than average compared to other universities, its rate of housing insecurity, and homelessness, are significantly higher, with the latter being particularly high at twice the rate. Certain demographics, such as African Americans and people who are Transgender, who tend to experience significantly higher rates of basic needs insecurity than many others, were not included in the data due to lack of a large enough sample size. If they were, the rate of basic needs insecurity may have been even higher. Other demographics who have higher rates of basic needs insecurity than many others may also make up a smaller portion of respondents compared to other universities, such as those who are from group or foster homes.

Approximately 86,000 students from 123 colleges participated in the 2018 Real College survey, including over 900 of the approximately 11,900 students at the University of Montana. Questions on basic needs insecurity were asked in accordance to USDA guidelines, with the exception of food insecurity, which asked about the prior 30 days, instead of the USDA’s 1 year standard. This decreased the possible rate of food insecurity, but was done to assess consistent lack of nutrition.

Many colleges are making efforts to reduce student food insecurity through campus pantries and other programs, such as letting students donate leftover money on their meal plans to those in need, also known as “Swipe out Hunger” in some places. But many food insecure college students are not using the resources available to them. According to a GAO report, approximately 2 million students who were possibly eligible for SNAP did not receive benefits in 2016. More efforts should be made by colleges to increase awareness of available resources, but colleges should also systematically change to end student food insecurity, as federal student aid usually does not cover all college costs, and students are less likely to qualify for certain public assistance benefits. For example, the “Swipe out Hunger” program may be a temporary solution to food insecurity on college campuses, but it may place a burden on students to use their money to help others. Students may think they eat enough food compared to others, and not use all the money on their meal plan to donate it to them instead, causing them to not eat as much as they should as a result. It should be the duty of colleges themselves to provide enough food to students who invest their time and money in them. Food is the most basic need for survival and function, and college students need enough to perform at their best.

Make sure you eat your green Skittles. Meme courtesy of https://davidalanneill.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/enough-of-the-ramen-healthy-eating-for-the-college-student-on-a-budget/.

Discussion/Food for Thought (Pun Intended)

Attending college is in everyone’s best economic interest. But even though college graduates may be more financially successful than those who do not attend, they still may not be earning enough for what they invest. However, the more imminent issue colleges should address are the financial situations of their current and future students. No student should lack their basic needs.

College campus pantries are a helpful resource for food insecure students, but not all colleges have them, and they may not be able to provide enough for all those in need, especially if much of what they receive relies on donations, which may be inconsistent. Colleges themselves should implement policies to ensure students have at least their basic needs met.