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Support Basic Needs Security, a Sense of Belonging, and Student Engagement

promote equity in the student experience by supporting basic needs security, a sense of belonging, and student engagement

Student success doesn’t occur in a vacuum; COVID-19 and the move to fully remote instruction has caused many non-academic barriers to be especially disruptive. Not to mention the recent political climate surrounding racial justice can leave students, particularly students of color, feeling especially vulnerable.

The complex lives of students can shape their successes, but also their challenges as they struggle with access to technology and mental health care, maintaining a sense of belonging, basic needs insecurity, or racism. Other students are also facing new work obligations or increased family care responsibilities.

Campuses and private companies have scaled up technology support and many college communities are rising to the occasion with extensive mutual aid efforts. But institutions can’t rely on the generosity of the community alone and must prepare to support struggling students beyond the immediate crisis and into a new semester that is likely to bring further pandemic-related disruption and political activism to campus.

How is my campus supporting sense of belonging, engagement, and basic needs security in a remote world?

Use this audit to evaluate the policies and practices in place at your institution to support historically underserved students. Please note, across the entire audit, “student success staff” refers to any individual charged with supporting students and may include advisors, financial aid staff, or student workers.

Consider which practices your institution has already adopted as you go through the statements below. If many of the statements are not reflective of your institution’s current practices, we recommend you focus your efforts in this area by downloading the PDF or sharing this page with colleagues to start implementing change on your campus.

Keep an eye out for high impact practices, via blue boxes just like this, for guidance on where to focus limited time and resources to improve student equity.

Start your audit

Bridge the Digital Divide

Quick wins

Our institution has surveyed students to determine if they have access to a computer and created a laptop loaner program to ensure all students can continue to learn.

See section one of EAB’s expert advice and watch this webinar

Faculty and staff minimize the need for students to download learning materials to accommodate those with data and broadband restrictions.

See section three of EAB’s expert advice

Longer-term strategies

Our institution has partnered with state and local governments and internet providers to begin long-term planning for extended crises.

See EAB’s analysis and case studies here

Our institution has created a technology fund to support the short- and long-term technology needs of our students.

Learn about technology support at UC Berkeley

Our institution has expanded Wi-Fi coverage on campus to parking lots and proactively shares information about other public Wi-Fi hotspots so local students and faculty can access the internet.

See EAB’s expert advice

Address Heightened Basic Needs Insecurity

Quick wins

Our institutional food pantry is open during the crisis to continue to serve the community while adhering to CDC guidelines (e.g., by preparing grab-and-go bags for students to pick up).

See section one of EAB’s expert advice, this blog, and this Hope Center resource

International students and students without a safe home can remain in campus residence halls even when campus operations are closed.

Maintain housing for international students and students with need

Student success staff send reminders to the campus community about the availability of basic needs resources with information on how to access them for students who may be using them for the first time.

See section two of EAB’s expert advice

Student success staff proactively connect students to local, state, and federal resources including food banks, state and federal unemployment forms, mental health and domestic violence helplines, and mutual aid.

See EAB’s expert advice and how to connect students with public aid

Increase Engagement and Sense of Belonging

Quick wins

Messaging from my institution uses positive, asset-based language.

Learn more about positive identity-based messaging

Our institution plans to adopt growth mindset and resiliency priming exercises for students during online orientation.

See EAB’s expert advice and watch this webinar

Our institution has adapted summer bridge programs to an online format in response to COVID-19 to promote academic self-efficacy and a sense of belonging.

Learn about bridge programs and FAU’s online summer success course

Our institution has created a one-stop-shop for online community engagement that includes wellness resources, upcoming activities, and local and national events to keep students connected with one another.

See examples at Bowling Green State University and Oregon State University’s e-campus

Faculty, staff, and administrators are calling all students individually to check in on their wellbeing, connect them to resources, and catalog challenges students are facing.

Watch this webinar and read how University of Tennessee at Knoxville called all their students

Longer-term strategies

Our institution has a method for regularly assessing campus climate and students’ sense of belonging.

See EAB’s campus climate survey and resource center

Our institution has developed a bias response team charged with developing a plan for bias incidents and preparing faculty to address racism, with specific resources to address COVID-related racism.

See EAB’s expert advice, this webinar, this roadmap on climate flashpoints, and this supplementary resource

Our institution connects student concerns and lack of belonging to histories of discrimination and hostility that have occurred in the campus community.

See EAB’s expert advice, this roadmap on student activism, and the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation

Our institution offers virtual counseling services, support groups, and virtual wellness events (e.g., fitness classes, mindfulness breaks, webinar on coping strategies) for students who are struggling with mental health challenges such as anxiety, grief, and social isolation.

See EAB’s expert advice and these sample virtual counseling groups

Our institution is creating or scaling up a virtual peer-to-peer support program to promote engagement and sense of belonging.

Learn more about peer-to-peer support programs

Faculty and staff incorporate mental health and well-being content into both in-person and online instruction.

Learn from Ryerson University and Simon Fraser University

To capture your responses and complete the implementation planning exercises, download the full 360-Degree Student Equity Audit.

Download the audit

Continue planning for equity

This audit page is reflective of one section of a larger 360-degree audit. Access the other sections at the top of this page or return to the homepage to continue planning.

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