Document Author: Cara L. Cuite

Food security as a basic need: College students need greater support from institutional administration (2024)

Food insecurity among college students has become a growing concern, with reports documenting
its prevalence for over a decade. As the demographics of university and college students change,
with more first-generation, nontraditional, and minority students, the risk of food insecurity is
heightened. This viewpoint contends that food security is an essential basic need among college
students, and when left unmet, it significantly impacts their well-being, resulting in an increased risk
of poor academic performance or departure from higher education before degree completion. To
combat this issue, universities and colleges must develop and sustain food security initiatives and
programs, with administrators playing a critical role. We highlight key areas in which institutional
administration can take actionable steps to dedicate the necessary support and resources to
proposed and ongoing programs, foster an equitable campus culture, and be advocates for policies
at the state and federal level that promote students’ food security.

Basic needs insecurities among Rutgers students: A university wide survey (2023)

This report describes the first study to invite all matriculated students from every Rutgers Chancellor-led Unit (Unit) to participate in a survey on basic needs insecurities. It is also the first study to measure Rutgers students’ basic needs insecurities beyond food and housing.

Methods:
· The survey was conducted online from November 15 to December 14, 2022.
· A total of 7,094 students responded, for a 10.7% response rate. Response rate by Unit ranged from 8.6% to 13.5%.
· The respondents were generally representative of the Rutgers student body.

Top line Results:
· University wide, almost 1 in 3 undergraduates (31.2%) and 1 in 4 graduate students (26.5%) reported experiencing food insecurity in the past 30 days.
· Graduate students were more likely than undergraduates to report having been housing insecure over the past 12 months, 46.7% vs. 31.0%, respectively.
· Homelessness was the least frequent basic need insecurity, as 7.6% of undergraduates and 8.2% of graduate students reported experiencing homelessness in the past 12 months.
· Many students reported having difficulty affording other needs that can affect their well-being and education. Some of the most pervasive needs were difficulty affording technology (42.8% of undergraduates and 47.2% of graduate students), books (43.8% of undergraduates and 40.1% of graduate students), and mental healthcare (35.8% of undergraduates and 41.6% of graduate students).
· As expected, given the different student populations of each Unit and degree level, there were disparities in the rates of basic needs insecurities across Units and degree level.

Recommendations:
· Continue to support innovative efforts to meet students’ basic needs and share best practices across Units.
· Tailor programming and policies to Unit-level student profiles and needs rather than adopt a one-size fits all, universitywide approach.
· Streamline service delivery whenever possible. Benefit hubs such as basic needs centers help connect students with Unit-based and community-based services and programs across multiple types of needs. Units should consider adopting a benefit hub model that is tailored to the needs of their students.