Today, more than one-third of students on campus are struggling with food or housing insecurity. And student financial insecurity goes beyond access to basic needs like food and housing, students struggle to pay for their books, clothing, and more. As economic inequality continues to grow, student affairs leaders know they must do more to support financially insecure students. However, presidents, provosts, board members, and other senior campus leaders may be unaware of the challenges students face and how these challenges can impact their success.
Use EAB’s editable briefing slides to start a discussion on campus to educate campus leaders on trends and data about food and housing insecurity and other barriers facing students. Establish key terms and definitions, combat outdated stereotypes, explore the consequences for financially insecure students, and the impact on key institutional priorities.
Read and share these two-page overviews of common obstacles facing financially insecure students on campus including textbook affordability and food insecurity.
To expand services for college affordability, it’s essential to know what resources you currently offer before deciding what services to build or expand. Conducting an audit is a reliable approach to identifying resources and determining what services are duplicative or underused. To kickstart this process, use EAB’s step-by-step online assessment to conduct a financial insecurity supports audit across your institution.
There are easy ways to break down barriers preventing students from accessing existing support on campus through awareness building. First, reduce the burden of help-seeking for students through programs that meet students where they are. Then, centralize resources so students have one-stop access to all institutional support.
Students often don’t know about or feel comfortable…