Report Measures Food, Housing Insecurity on UNM Campus

During the 2020 session of the New Mexico State Legislature, three legislators introduced an initiative proposing an appropriation to the State Education Department to create a pilot program to address college hunger.  

House Bill 69, co-sponsored by Reps. Joanne Ferrary, Christine Trujillo and Melanie Stansbury, was approved on a "Do Pass" basis in committee, but then the measure was postponed indefinitely. Still, the bill was a recognition that hunger among students is a sometimes hidden problem at colleges and universities in New Mexico. 

The issue of hunger among college students is not as highly publicized as hunger in the general population, particularly among children, seniors and working families. But the concern is very real.

A team of UNM researchers--led by two Honors Program faculty members, Assistant Professor Sarita Cargas and Marygold Walsh-Dilley--began discussions last year on a plan to measure food insecurity at the University of New Mexico. Cargas and Walsh-Dilley have been an active participant in the Food, Hunger, Water, Agriculture Policy Action Team, a broad coalition seeking to find ways to reduce hunger in New Mexico. 

In September 2020, the researchers released the first findings in a report entitled Basic Needs Insecurity at UNM: 2020 Research Report. The report was funded primarily by the Office of the Provost and Office of the Chancellor at UNM, but the UNM Honors College, Student Services, and the Office of Student Affairs also contributed financially to the project. In addition to the two lead researchers, Heather Mechler, Kathryn Coakley, Shoshana, Adler Jaffe and Ann Murphy were also part of the team. See full report

"Food insecurity on college campuses has become an area of intense study over the past decade, and research on housing insecurity is on the rise,  said the executive summary.  "This report presents findings from the first representative study of basic needs security in college students in the state of New Mexico. 

First Survey Conducted in April 

The inaugural survey was conducted in April 2020, amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic. According to the study, students were selected using a stratified random sampling method of all degree-seeking students at the Albuquerque UNM campus. 

 

Factors in the sampling included low-income status (an expected family contribution of $5,576 as determined on a student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid), level of study, gender, area of study, and ethnicity. The entire sample consisted of 12,000 students. Selected participants received an email two days before the survey launch informing them that they had been selected to participate in a survey about food and housing security among UNM students. 

 

The survey invitation noted that the first 2,500 participants would receive a $10 Amazon gift card as a token of appreciation for their time. The survey remained open for two weeks, with two reminders sent to students who had not yet responded. 

 

One in three students food insecure

"The report found that roughly one-third of students surveyed were food insecure in April and four in 10 were housing insecure at one time or another during the previous year.

"Our findings indicate that one in three UNM students were food insecure in April 2020 and over 40% were housing insecure sometime in the previous year," added the executive summary. "Both food and housing insecurity prevalence are higher at UNM than in the broader population of New Mexico. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that 16.8% of New Mexico Households are food insecure. It is harder to compare ousing insecurity because of a lack of consistent measurement strategies." 

"Basic needs insecurity varies across demographic groups. At UNM, the demographic groups most affected by food insecurity include African Americans and American Indians; transgender and gender fluid students; and gay, lesbian, and bisexual students," the executive summary noted.

The need to address hunger among college students extends beyond UNM. The study at New Mexico's flagship university is just the beginning. There are other universities and colleges in the state where food insecurity is likely present among students, including New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico Tech in Socorro, Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, Western New Mexico University in Silver City, Santa Fe Community College, Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque and Northern New Mexico College in Española, among others. These are the largest institutions. There are a couple other dozen small colleges and branch campuses for the major institutions.

Housing Insecurity

According to the  UNM study, the students most affected by housing insecurity are: Hispanic, American Indian, and international students, and students who are two or more races; female, transgender, and gender fluid students; gay, lesbian and bisexual students and students who report that they are not sure of their sexuality; and students with dependents.

"Over one-fifth, or 20.5% of UNM students, experience a double burden of both food and housing insecurity," noted the study.

"Preliminary analysis suggests that basic needs insecurity contributes to poorer academic outcomes," the researchers concluded. "Students reporting food insecurity were more likely to withdraw from or fail a course, and also reported lower grade point averages. Thus, this report suggests that food and housing insecurity contributes to disparities in academic success across demographic groups."

Next Steps

The study offers only a snapshot of the problem at UNM, confirming a situation that researchers suspected already existed. The study recommends a broad approach to address the problem. "Food insecurity and housing insecurity are substantial problems for UNM students and require a comprehensive, systemic, and sustainable response," the study said. "Efforts to address basic needs on campus must be attentive to the stigma that may surround these issues. Additionally, many campus offices, resource centers, and departments must work together to address the problems of food and housing insecurity in the campus community. The needs are too great to be the purview of one office especially if that office has numerous other mandates."