Ten years ago, most college students short of money for food would have difficulty finding a food pantry on campus. Food insecurity wasn’t a widely recognized problem in higher education and “student basic needs” wasn’t a field of practice.
As we reach the end of another tough year, we deserve to take a moment to be grateful and proud that times truly have changed. It’s now common knowledge among college administrators and staff that many students experience shortfalls of the essentials. We have federal data that put numbers to the problem, most institutions have a food pantry on campus, and at least 400 colleges and universities employ a staff member dedicated to supporting students’ basic needs. Indeed, in several states those staff are required and supported by legislatures. 
Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab
In other words, we have a growing number of institutions that have gotten real about solutions to secure basic needs, overcoming the stigma and fear associated with being a place that educates students living in poverty. I call a place that does this a #RealCollege. They deserve to be the focus of public attention and philanthropic giving and the priority for governments, instead of the tiny number of already highly-resourced gated colleges always dominating the news.
The growth in on-campus support for students’ housing, food, transportation, mental health, childcare, and related needs is both heartening and depressing. On the one hand it’s wonderful to see skilled professionals take to heart the lesson that students are humans first. My front row seat to that change has made me especially optimistic about the capacity of our sector to adapt and grow.
On the other hand, the sheer magnitude of the challenge can be daunting. There are more than four million students who need help, yet most programs only serve hundreds. It’s also been hard to watch as some colleagues approach basic needs insecurity with little more than a bit of sweet charity, as if a quick fix (like a couple of cans of beans or a few meal vouchers) could ever counter the new economics of college. Students require and deserve far more than band-aids. They should only need to visit a food pantry once; after that they ought to be connected to programs like SNAP, financial aid, and related programs to meet their needs in an ongoing way.
What else can and should we do? What constitutes scalable and effective support for students’ basic needs? How can we assess where institutions are on their journeys to provide support? What makes a college truly “hunger-free?” These are hard questions to answer. Many are using program evaluations, case studies, and trying to learn directly from practitioners and students. With multiple research teams, I’ve collaborated with colleges and universities to test solutions like meal vouchers, emergency aid, basic needs centers, and so on. Now, in partnership with Believe in Students and Dr. Jesse Stommel, I’m co-creating a “masterclass” to support staff and faculty on the front lines who are trying to make sense of an emergent field and help them find their way.
