Document Category: Op-Ed

“I can’t learn when I’m hungry”: Responding to U.S. college student basic needs insecurity in pedagogy and practice (2023)

Food insecurity and other basic needs insecurities were pressing concerns for U.S. college students prior to the COVID-19 crisis and are even more so now. These issues disproportionately impact minoritized students, making addressing basic needs an issue of educational equity. As feminist teacher-scholars, we reflect in this essay on what it means to teach in the context of student basic needs insecurities, drawing on our experiences from launching an interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to combatting food insecurity on our campus. In doing so, we seek to catalyze changes within and beyond the classroom to better support students.

SNEB position paper highlights food and nutrition insecurity among college students (2023)

Action is needed to make measurable differences in food and nutrition security for collegiates. Based on the best evidence currently available, recommendations include, but are not limited to:

High quality research on food insecurity assessment measures and screening tools.
Ongoing national surveillance of food insecurity for college students.
More rigorous research for inference on how it impacts health and other outcomes over time.
Intervention for subpopulations that are consistently underserved.
Improved collaboration across disciplines supporting college students.
Investments to scale food assistance programs for those who need them.
Improved awareness of existing resources available to students who experience food insecurity.
More emphasis on the unique needs of emerging adult health.

#RealCollege (2016)

An op-ed by Sara Goldrick-Rab for AFT Voices that explains the origins of the first #RealCollege convening