Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly exacerbated the challenging situation facing many students in colleges and universities in the United States. To promote student success and address equity issues in higher education, there is an urgent need to treat students as humans first and attend to their basic needs. In this essay, I present evidence pointing to the fact that the pandemic has made student basic needs insecurity even worse. However, well designed and successfully implemented emergency aid programs and other innovative interventions with equity at the center can help address problems in student basic needs insecurity. I present successful examples in addressing student basic needs insecurity and call for sustained and bold actions.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly exacerbated the challenging situation facing many students in colleges and universities in the United States
The COVID-19 pandemic was life-changing for millions of Americans, especially those who are economically marginalized and need education and training beyond high school to achieve stability
Effective programs operate from a position of abundance, even when funds are tight, so as to avoid discouraging student participation due to perceived lack of capacity. These elements are critical, since that fall 2020 survey showed that students who do not benefit from basic needs security programs often do not know about them, do not know how to apply, or think other people need them more—a position reflecting an austerity mindset (The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, 2021a)
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly exacerbated the challenging situation facing many students in colleges and universities in the United States. While more higher education institutions are introducing supports for basic needs, recent data show that student utilization is uneven and patterns of access to supports are inequitable (Baker-Smith et al, 2020; The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, 2021a).
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