UNDERSTANDING UNDERSERVED STUDENTS ON CAMPUS Mary-Alice Ozechoski LVAIC Adult Learner Vice President of Student Affairs & Traditional Enrollment Conference 2018 Cedar Crest College What we know about family income FAMILY INCOME BY FAMILY INCOME BY REGION RACE/ETHNICITY 75,280 81,500 66,510 75,530 93,500 49,370 51,110 82,070 81,500 93,500 75,530 75,280 82,070 66,510 51,110 49,370 ASIAN BLACK HISPANIC WHITE MIDWEST NORTHEAST SOUTH WEST ALONE ALONE ALONE Source: College Board December, 2017 Family income based on educational attainment Bachelors or more $114,640 Associate Degree $ 76,010 Some College $66,860 High School Completed $54,600 Less than High School $ 37,180 Tuition & fee structure within LVAIC Cedar Crest DeSales Lafayette Lehigh Moravian Muhlenberg College University College University College College Tuition $37,492 $34,500 $50,400 $50,320 $40,203 $50,095 Foster care and college enrollment 150,000 high school students in foster care graduate annually from US high schools 30,000 enroll in higher education 20% college attendance rate vs. 60% of high school students not in the system We capture this information on the FAFSA/within our Financial Aid process Source: Higher Education Today, American Council on Education Blog: Beyond the Margins: Meeting the Needs of Underserved Students Amy Bworsky, December 11, 2017 Data we may need to pay attention to… In schools today: 20.1 million students are eligible for free lunch Families at or below 130% of poverty level are eligible for free lunch. For a family of four this is an annual income of $31,960 or less 2.0 million are eligible for a reduced lunch at 40 cents per meal Families between 130%-185% poverty level are eligible for reduced lunch. For a family of four this is an annual income of between $31,961- $45,185 Source: United States Department of Agriculture: The National School Lunch Program, 2017 1.7 million students took the SAT in 2016. 25% received a fee waiver Source: The College Board, 2017 Both of these data points are captured on admissions applications at many institutions Current data Wisconsin Hope Lab & Feeding America Survey 2017 33,000 college students surveyed at 70 institutions across the country 50% reported they struggle to have enough food 13% reported they were also homeless Characteristics of Participating Institutions Community Colleges 4-year Colleges N 31 35 Private 0% 14% Census Region West 19% 0% Midwest 10% 23% South 6% 40% Northeast 65% 40% Urbanization City 45% 46% Suburb 39% 31% Town 6% 20% Rural 10% 3% Undergraduate Population Under 5,000 27% 29% 5,000-9,999 37% 34% 10,000-19,999 30% 23% 20,000 or more 7% 14% Characteristics of Survey Respondents Institution Type Group 2-Year 4-Year Gender Male 26% 27% Female 71% 70% Non-binary 3% 3% Race/Ethnicity White, Non-Hispanic 53% 54% Black 11% 17% Hispanic 14% 6% Asian 5% 9% Middle-Eastern/Arab/North African 1% 1% Native American 0% 0% More than one race/Other 15% 13% Age 18 to 20 35% 48% 21 to 25 25% 37% 26 to 30 14% 7% Over 30 26% 9% Food and Housing Insecurity at Four- Year Institutions 36% 37% 9% FOOD INSECURE HOUSING INSECURE HOMELESS Food Insecurity Items 2-Year Institutions 4-Year Institutions 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 46% Couldn't afford to eat balanced meals. 40% Worried if food would run out before getting 44% money for more. 36% Food didn't last until there was money to get 37% more. 29% 31% Cut size or skipped meals due to lack of money. 25% 29% Ate less than they should due to lack of money. 23% 24% Didn't eat when hungry due to lack of money. 20% 3 or more days: Cut size or skipped meals due 22% to lack of money. 18% 14% Lost weight due to lack of money for food. 11% 9% Didn't eat for whole day due to lack of money. 6% 3 or more days: Didn't eat for whole day due to 5% lack of money. 3% Causes of Homelessness Among Students Self-Reporting as Homeless Reasons Percent I felt unsafe where I was living. 21% I had difficulty paying rent/mortgage 33% A conflict or problem with someone I lived with. 40% I was in another difficult situation 58% Where Do Homeless Students Stay? Location Percent Friend’s home (non-neighbor) 62% Relative’s home 51% Home of boyfriend/girlfriend 34% Car or other vehicle 30% Hotel, motel, or hostel 22% House or apartment of a stranger or someone I don’t know well 17% Other person’s home 17% Neighbor’s home 10% Home of someone I was having sex with in exchange for housing or 10% survival needs Transitional housing 9% Anywhere outside 8% Shelter 8% 24-hour restaurant/laundromat/other retail establishment 4% Abandoned building/vacant unit/squat 4% NASAP Survey of Chief Student Affairs Officers 2016 523 Campuses surveyed Data led to a Bill & Melinda Gates Stark State College Foundation Innovation Grant & working SUNY Adirondack Community College group of 20 campuses from across the country: Texas Women’s University University of Houston Austin Community College University of Texas at El Paso Cedar Crest College University of Washington Seattle Chatham University University of Washington Tacoma Cleveland State University Xavier University of Louisiana Dillard University Emory University 2 Professional Organizations: Florida International University NASPA LaGuardia Community College-CUNY National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Lorain Community College Montgomery County Community College 2 Non-Profit Organizations: Northern Virginia Community College Scholarship America Pasadena City College Single Stop Primary types of emergency aid defined by NASPA Campus vouchers- Cover materials from the bookstore or meals in the dining hall Completion scholarships- Cover outstanding balances for students poised to graduate of continue the next semester Emergency loans- Address hardship related to the timing of students financial aid disbursement Food pantries- Address food insecurity on campus Restricted grants- Support students who experience unexpected hardship: typically require that students meet certain academic or other requirements Unrestricted grants-Support students who experience unexpected hardship: typically awarded without restriction Delivery of aid across 2-an 4-Year Public and Private Institutions Campus vouchers 47% 48% 4% Completion scholarships 33% 57% 10% Emergency loans 67% 32% 2% Food pantries 45% 51% 4% Restricted grants 47% 48% 5% Unrestricted grants 54% 41% 5% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Yes No Don’t Know NASPA Survey results Food Pantries are the second leading type of emergency aid provided by colleges & universities Should be in a highly visible and accessible space Not limited to food but to health care items, school supplies, feminine hygiene products etc. Can begin as pop-up events for students and serve food/give away school supplies/personal care products Negotiate unused swipes on meal plans with food service provider Only 30% of private 4-year institutions surveyed offer food assistance to students NASPA Survey results Emergency loans or grants can have a huge impact on student success 41% of emergency loans or grants come from foundations and individual donors 78% of private institutions say lack of financial resources is the greatest barrier to serving a greater number of students who need emergency loans or grants 72% of the loan or grant need is < $1,000 per student Emergency loans or grants dollar amount needed by the student Loan/grant amounts by percentage 72% of students need < $1000 to be out of crisis $100-$499-38% $500-$999-34% Over $1000-25% Other-3% Next steps in serving students- 5 working groups Measuring effectiveness of Emergency Aid Funding & resources for campuses and foundations/corporations Common national application for students Defining emergency and emergency aid A holistic approach to meeting the needs of students Making the case on your campus What is the average AGI- 91,000 top 25% adjusted gross income of 68,250 top 50% your families 45,500 top 75% What is the average family income and family 22,750 bottom 25% size of your adult learners Now take the bottom 25% average income of these populations and determine what your underserved student population looks like on your campus Low cost/high impact practices Negotiating meal swipes/shared swipes Winter coat drive Food pantry drive Career Closet “Pop up” events- apples in the fall, snacks during finals More ideas Free shuttles to major airports for students to access public transportation (metro NYC, Philly etc.) Keeping Residence Halls open over breaks Providing “to go” meals over breaks to students who register for them Developing a book voucher program Working with Institutional Advancement to tell the compelling story 2016 US Census Rate of College Enrollment Rates for Recent High School Graduates Low income = bottom 20% of average income in the US/ Top income = top 20% of average income in the US 2008 2013 All 68.6% 65.9% High income 81.9% 78.5% Middle income 65.2% 63.8% Low income 55.9% 45.5% NASPA Report https://www.naspa.org/rpi/reports/landscape- analysis-of-emergency-aid-programs Articles The Inquirer: Many college students will be homeless, hungry and alone this Thanksgiving http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/campus-hunger-homeless-college-students-thanksgiving-food-insecurity- 20171121.html INSIGHT Into Diversity: Homeless and Hungry in College: Students Find On-Campus Support to Help with Basic Needs http://www.insightintodiversity.com/homeless-and-hungry-in-college-students-find-on-campus-support-to-help-with-basic- needs/ The Chronicle of Higher Education: ‘Sometimes I Cry’: a Ground-Level View of Student Poverty https://www.chronicle.com/article/Sometimes-I-Cry-a/234509 Wisconsin Hope Lab: Hungry and Homeless in College: Results From a National Study of Basic Needs Insecurity in Higher Education http://www.wihopelab.com/publications/Hungry-and-Homeless-in-College-Report.pdf Wisconsin Hope Lab: Still Hungry and Homeless in College http://wihopelab.com/publications/Wisconsin-HOPE-Lab-Still-Hungry-and-Homeless.pdf Questions? Thank you!.