Document Tag: pandemic

Parenting While In College: Basic Needs Insecurity Among Students With Children (2020)

At least one in five of today’s college students is parenting a child while enrolled in classes.󰀱 Ifthese parenting students complete their degrees, both they and their children could expectimproved social, economic, and health outcomes. Nevertheless, degree attainment rates amongparenting students are low, and evidence about their experiences—which is critical to improvingpolicy and practice regarding parenting students—is sparse.In 2019, the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice began using our tools tofill that gap. Specifically, we added new questions to our fifth annual #RealCollege survey,asking parenting students at 171 two-year institutions and 56 four-year institutions about theirexperiences with basic needs insecurity, childcare, depression and anxiety, and campus and socialsupports

#RealCollege During the Pandemic: Initial Institutional Responses to Address Basic Needs Insecurity (2020)

The novel coronavirus pandemic is testing institutions of higher education in unprecedented ways,
including challenging their ability to address basic needs insecurity among their students. With
the crisis ongoing as a new academic year begins, it is helpful to examine the response thus far.
The Hope Center developed a pandemic-oriented, institution-based survey that was administered
between April 9 and May 29. The survey yielded responses from 165 institutions in 36 states. The
results reveal:
• The number of students with basic needs insecurity on college campuses is substantial,
regardless of the method used to quantify such students.
• More than two-thirds of institutions said basic needs insecurity was discussed “a lot” or “a
great deal” on their campuses, and community colleges were more likely than four-year
institutions to view basic needs insecurity as a hinderance to degree completion.
• Nine of 10 respondents were looking for additional help to address students’ food and
housing needs, which were already areas of concern prior to the pandemic. And as
nationwide eviction moratoriums began to expire toward the end of summer, evidence
emerged that housing needs were increasing.
• A majority of institutions offered support to students seeking Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and had an active food pantry on campus.
• One hundred and seven institutions offered emergency aid. Three-quarters of those
institutions used online applications for their emergency aid programs, easing one of the
main challenges to effectively dispersing aid. However, institutions continued to struggle
with staffing and publicizing the programs, as well as meeting the increased demand solely
via fundraising.
• One in five institutions required students to complete a Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to access emergency aid funds.
• Just three in 10 institutions helped students with basic needs insecurity apply for
unemployment insurance, despite widespread job loss among undergraduates.1

Self-reported COVID-19 infection and implications for mental health and food insecurity among American college students (2022)

While the COVID-19 pandemic affected mental health and increased food insecurity across the general population, less is known about the virus’s impact on college students. A fall 2020 survey of more than 100,000 students at 202 colleges and universities in 42 states reveals sociodemographic variation in self-reported infections, as well as associations between self-reported infection and food insecurity and mental health. We find that 7% of students self-reported a COVID-19 infection, with sizable differences by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, parenting status, and student athlete status. Students who self-reported COVID-19 infections were more likely to experience food insecurity, anxiety, and depression. Implications for higher education institutions, policy makers, and students are discussed.