Rising education cost is rising to critical levels as a recent survey among university students revealed that it has become the root cause of the growing hunger problems in campuses.
The survey was conducted by Hunger on Campus, a study which has been monitoring food insecurity in the campuses since 2015. It is a joint study conducted by the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, the Student Public Research Interest Groups, the College and University Food Bank Alliance, and the Student Government Resource Center.
According to the report, a lot of community college students are living on a shoestring budget often lacking access to a well-balanced and nutritious meal. The survey had a total of 3,765 students in eight community colleges and 6 four-year colleges across 12 states.
Aside from the hunger problem, the report also revealed that homelessness is also a growing concern. But that was just the tip of the iceberg because the survey also showed that th percentage of African-American students going hungry is higher than those non-Hispanic white students. Moreover, 64 percent of those who experienced food insecurity are also experiencing some type of housing problem while 15 percent of those who are experiencing hunger has experienced some sort of homelessness in the past 12 months.
What's more surprising about these numbers is that the students who are part of the survey have a job or receiving some form of financial aid. A lot of them are on meal plans as well but still they are not enough to cover all the food needs of the students
A lot of universities and colleges are stepping in to help by setting up food banks. For example, the Cleveland State University has already catered 800 students for almost three years of its existence. That effort led to the university in creating Lift Up Vikes!, a university resource center and food pantry which also provides students with lockers, laundry facilities, and workshops.
