Document Category: Research Study

The Housing Needs and Experiences of Project Rebound Students at Fresno State: Executive Summary (2023)

Students and formerly incarcerated people are both populations associated with increased risk for housing insecurity and homelessness (see for example, The Hope Center, 2021; Couloute,2018). Formerly incarcerated students fall into both populations. This executive summary summarizes the findings and recommendations of a study conducted for a master’s thesis that provides a better understanding of the housing needs of formerly incarcerated students, specifically, the housing needs and experiences of students in Fresno State’s Project Rebound, a support program for formerly incarcerated students.

Understanding higher education students’ sense of belonging: a qualitative meta-ethnographic analysis (2023)

The current literature on ‘sense of belonging’ spans a number of disciplines, with no apparent consensus on definition between these, complicated by the fact that sense of belonging is temporal and context-sensitive (such as during COVID-19). In particular, a closer look at how students define sense of belonging is needed from an up-to-date perspective to help them feel more connected to the faculty/campus and improve their wellbeing and mental health in the ‘new normal’ and ‘next normal’ post-pandemic eras. Therefore, this study explores higher education students’ sense of belonging, a concept that has not been adequately conceptualised, from their perspectives. As these perspectives are subjective, an interpretive approach is required to generate rich meanings. This study has adopted a meta-ethnographic approach to synthesise qualitative studies, which allows for comparison and synthesis of studies into a new interpretation through translations. Interpretive qualitative synthesis resulted in one higher-order concept, four main concepts, and nineteen sub-concepts that conceptualise higher education students’ understanding of sense of belonging to their universities.

The Unique Agency of Parenting-Strivers: An AntiDeficit, Asset-Based Exploration of Black and Latinx Students with Children (2022)

Research, as well as mainstream culture, may be too quick to label parenting young people of color (which we define as being under or near the age of 20 when having a child) as delinquent and “at risk”. Using qualitative data, we offer anti-deficit framing surrounding students of color with children, highlighting the unique achievements of a set of “parent-strivers” despite the natural challenges of unexpectant parenthood. Our findings suggest that the parenting and academic identities of low-income people of color can be mutually beneficial and reinforced through positive schooling influences; we challenge the idea that education becomes a secondary priority after one becomes a parent. This paper answers the call for a better “articulation of agency” within exclusionary institutions. It contributes a rare acknowledgment of positive family outcomes to offset the concept of risk monopolizing the field and leaving us without support-oriented thinking.

Food Insecurity Among Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Trainees (2024)

IMPORTANCE Food insecurity on college campuses has emerged as an urgent public health priority; however, there has been a lack of studies focused on graduate students or postdoctoral trainees, particularly those enrolled at private academic institutions.
OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of and factors associated with food insecurity among graduate students and postdoctoral trainees at a private academic university in Boston, Massachusetts.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this cross-sectional survey study, a survey on food insecurity was sent to graduate students and postdoctoral trainees at 3 health-focused graduate schools at Harvard University during the end of the spring 2023 academic term (April to June). Participants were studying medicine, dental medicine, or public health. Data analysis was performed from July to September 2023.
EXPOSURE Sociodemographic characteristics of graduate students and postdoctoral trainees.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was food insecurity as assessed using the US Household Food Security Survey Module. Food insecurity also encompassed low and very low food security. Bidirectional stepwise logistic regression models were conducted to estimate the factors associated with food insecurity for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees.
RESULTS The analytic sample included 1745 participants (response rate, 55%): 1287 were graduate students and 458 were postdoctoral trainees. The median age of respondents was 29.0 (IQR, 7.0) years, and more than half (1073 [61.5%]) identified as female. A total of 694 respondents (39.8%) identified as Asian, 625 (35.8%) as White, and 426 (24.4%) as being of other race or ethnicity. The prevalence of food insecurity was 17.4% (224 of 1287) among graduate students and 12.7% (58 of 458) among postdoctoral trainees. Among graduate students, factors associated with food insecurity included being Asian (OR, 1.06 [95% CI, 1.01-1.11]) or of other race or ethnicity (OR, 1.07 [95% CI, 1.02-1.13]), receiving financial aid (OR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.05-1.13]), and having housing instability (OR, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.45-1.61]). Among postdoctoral trainees, factors associated with food insecurity included receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (OR, 1.59 [95% CI, 1.28-1.97]), having housing instability (OR, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.22-1.45]), and not owning a car (OR, 1.11 [95% CI, 1.04-1.18]).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this study, a substantial proportion of graduate students and postdoctoral trainees at a private academic institution experienced food insecurity during the academic year. These findings underscore the need for national and institutional interventions to address the complex, structural factors related to food insecurity in these distinct populations.

Cooking in College: Improving Access to Cooking May Reduce Food Insecurity at Universities (2024)

Compared to the U.S. population, food insecurity may be more prevalent among university students. Using a cross-sectional survey of 338 undergraduate students, this study assessed how various food preparation abilities are associated with the risk of food insecurity. Food insecurity (FI) (41.4%) and very low food security (VLFS) (21.0%) were prevalent. Loan borrowing predicted VLFS (OR = 2.234). Controlling for financial strain indicators, food procurement skills reduced FI (OR = 0.466) among male students. Among female students, employment positively predicted FI (OR = 1.677) and VLFS (OR = 1.966), while cooking facilities access reduced FI (OR = 0.436) and VLFS (OR = 0.433)

Shifting Tides: The Evolution of Racial Inequality in Higher Education from the 1980s through the 2010s (2024)

Amid the proliferation of state-level bans on race-based affirmative action in higher education, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on June 29, 2023, dismantled race-conscious college admission policies, intensifying concerns about the persistence and potential increase of racial inequality in higher education. The authors analyze four restricted-use national survey datasets to investigate racial disparities in college attendance outcomes from the 1980s through the 2010s. Although college entrance rates increased for all racial groups, Black and Hispanic youth became increasingly less likely than their White peers to attend four-year selective colleges. In the 2010s cohort, Black and Hispanic youth were 8 and 7 percentage points, respectively, less likely than their White counterparts to secure admission to four-year selective colleges, even after controlling for parents’ income, education, and other family background variables. The findings underscore the urgent need for proactive policy interventions to address the widening racial inequality in attending selective postsecondary institutions.

College focused rapid rehousing: Deploying an existing community model to address homelessness on campus (2024)

Research indicates that financial and housing insecurity challenges are widespread on most college campuses throughout the U.S. However, there is wide variability in how campuses address these challenges. This study reports on a three-year implementation of the College-Focused Rapid Rehousing pilot; an initiative in California by which universities commissioned community providers to assist students in need via a modified Rapid Rehousing (RRH) intervention. RRH is a widely implemented intervention that combines move-in assistance, short-term rental subsidies, and ongoing case management, to help individuals quickly transition into stable housing. The mixed-methods evaluation included analyses of online surveys (n = 141), administrative records (n = 368), and focus groups conducted with staff across eight campuses (n = 35). Survey findings indicate that CFRR programs assisted a diverse group of students with similar histories of housing insecurity. Quantitative analyses also show that most participants experienced the intervention as designed, though with some inconsistencies in how quickly some were assisted. Qualitative findings highlight contextual factors that affected the consistency of the intervention, including tight rental markets and philosophical disagreements among administrators about the
intervention’s scope. Despite study limitations, findings provide insights into the applicability of the RRH model on campus settings and directions for future research.

Institutional Initiatives Addressing Student Food Insecurity: A Qualitative Study Exploring Lived Experiences of Higher Education Professionals (2024)

This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of higher education administrators involved in addressing food insecurity on campuses in the U.S. through the COVID-19 pandemic. As more higher education institutions begin to develop food insecurity and basic needs initiatives to enhance student success and persistence, sharing the perspectives of administrators overseeing programs provides a more holistic view of campus initiatives. Implications and recommendations for higher education practice and research are discussed.

Does Administrative Burden Create Racialized Policy Feedback? How Losing Access to Public Benefits Impacts Beliefs about Government (2024)

Public trust and civic predisposition are cornerstones of well-functioning democratic societies, and burdensome citizen-state encounters may undermine positive views of government, especially for racially minoritized clientele. Leveraging insights from policy feedback theory, we argue that administrative burden has the potential to undermine trust in government and civic predisposition through two mechanisms: 1) interpretive effects: burdensome experiences that induce negative emotional responses and 2) resource effects: experiences of losing access to public benefits. In our OLS regression analysis of survey data from applicants for a means-tested public benefit program in the U.S. (n=2,250), we find that clients who lost access to benefits were significantly less likely to trust government, and these findings were driven by racially minoritized clients rather than White clients. Our findings demonstrate that experiences of administrative burden that result in the loss of public benefits may result in racialized policy feedback, by disproportionately reducing trust in government and civic predisposition for racially minoritized clientele.

Revisiting Health Disparities Linked to “Some College”: Incorporating Gender and High School Experiences (2023)

In the United States, “some college” is attained more frequently than a 4-year college degree. However, attainments below 4-year college vary considerably in terms of credentials and years of higher education, and gender differences in health disparities remain overlooked. Additionally, high school experiences may confound any estimated health gains. We draw on national longitudinal data (Add Health; Waves IV and V) to estimate associations between subbaccalaureate education and general health during young adulthood and again at early midlife. Relative to attaining no education past high school, women’s greater self-rated health with all levels of postsecondary attainment is robust to high school experiences, with the exception of vocational/technical training without a degree, in young adulthood and in early midlife. Greater health gains are linked to associate degrees compared to some college without a degree. For men, health benefits are found only among 4-year degree holders. For both genders, depressive symptom buffering linked to subbaccalaureate education is inconsistent and sometimes not robust to high school experiences. Overall, these findings offer a compelling case for recasting college health gains in terms of distinct postsecondary endpoints by gender.