Faculty and staff across campus encounter students struggling with food insecurity. In our research, we heard about dining hall staff noticing students repeatedly removing food from the dining hall, financial aid officers concerned about students with high levels of unmet need, and recreation staff noticing students showering at odd hours.
Think about who these frontline partners are on your campus. Are they equipped with the information they need to efficiently connect students with support?
UCLA uses Basic Needs Referral Postcards to make it as easy as possible for staff to make referrals. The cards include key information about resources for hungry students and how they can reach out for support. The cards are distributed to frontline partners in residence life, financial aid, the center for international students, and special populations offices.
Staff hand cards directly to students they suspect might be struggling to meet their basic needs, so students can access the list of resources anytime they need support. The cards can also serve as a good conversation starter about available campus resources.
Use tool #5 in the Student Affairs Forum’s Implementation Toolkit to create a basic needs referral postcard for your campus.