The image of the hungry college student is a familiar one, with late-night ramen meals nearly as ubiquitous as the infamous all-nighter study session. But that scene is a comparatively benign one: Many of these students are unaware they have classmates who regularly skip meals because they lack the funds to buy food.
The 2017 "Hungry and Homeless in College" report from the Wisconsin HOPE Lab indicates that up to two-thirds of college students aren't eating enough food. Though schools are making college accessible to first-generation and lower-income students, scholarships are not enough. While there have been no widespread studies on the effects of food insecurity at the college level, a number of smaller studies can help paint a picture of the effects of food insecurity: among them, higher likelihood to experience stress, lower grade point averages, and an almost 10 percent reduction in the likelihood of obtaining their degree.
Justice Butler is in her second stint as a student, now at Houston Community College. She attended college years ago while also juggling a full-time job. Eventually, Butler lost her job, and she soon found herself homeless, and hungry. At one point, Butler had lost 20 pounds living on the street. "Not being able to eat correctly made it a struggle. I felt tired and drained," she says. "It was hard to focus and study, but I had help from my homeless friends who encouraged me and helped me study."
[For more of this story, written by Kimberly Yavorski, go to https://psmag.com/education/co...-starving-in-silence]
Comments (3)