Since the recession, colleges have seen a rise in homeless students and the necessity of food pantries.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the student government has opened a pantry called the Open Seat to help struggling students, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
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The idea came from the UW campus at Stevens Point.
The data is imprecise, but the Washington Post found that more than 120 campuses now have food pantries. In 2008 — the year President Obama won his first election — only four campuses had anything to help those students.
That’s a 3,000 percent increase.
When the recession hit and unemployment ballooned, many students who would otherwise enter the workforce chose to continue their education for lack of an alternative. The federal government offered loans that were accessible and came with low interest rates. Promotional materials from colleges emphasized strong career prospects with a degree.
As tuition and fees have risen with student enrollments and demand, however, many students felt an economic crunch. Even with loans, living expenses weren’t always easy to meet. The problem has gone unnoticed, as issues surrounding student loan debt, free speech, and the economic value of a degree grab media attention.
The Wisconsin Hope Lab, based at UW, conducted a survey to determine the extent of the problem at community colleges. They found that “half of all community college students are struggling with food and/or housing insecurity. Fully 20 percent are hungry and 13 percent are homeless.”
With a student population that tends to be older, less prepared, and less economically stable than students at traditional four-year colleges, it isn’t surprising that the problem would be more dire for community colleges.
As the economy improves and the unemployment rate declines, food insecurity and homelessness will decline for the student population. A student might take a semester or two off when they can find a job and re-establish economic stability.
The relief, however, won’t come from a change in academic costs. Though college enrollment numbers have declined for three consecutive years, especially for for-profit and community colleges, tuition rates don’t appear to follow a similar pattern. The accessibility of student loans helps students pay tuition bills, but it also drives those bills higher, then requires students to pay the full cost later, with interest. For students who struggle economically as they pursue a degree, relief will come from a jumpstart to the economy before they get lower cost from the bursar.
