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Hunger on college campuses: it's a real thing
Replies
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Tweaking_Time wrote: »College for me was late 70's early 80's. There were no student loans. I drove a rusty 1964 Pontiac LeMans convertible with over 180,000 miles (I still miss that car).
Ramen noodles, cheap hot dogs, Hormel chili, spaghetti, Totino's pizza, eggs and potatoes were the norm. If I wanted to eat better I hunted and fished and/or worked more hours at K-Mart, or cut, split, deliver, and stack firewood, and also mowed grass. BTW - I got $40 for a full cord (4' x 4' x 8'). I got $15 for cord-wood, cut at 4 or 8 feet in length and sold to the Kingsford plant the next town over. About once per month, when the Wendy's all-you-can-eat soup/salad bar had something that resembled chili, we would splurge and eat out. We always seemed to have money for cheap beer on Friday and Saturday night too.
I dropped out of school one spring/summer to make more money so I could afford to go back to the University in the fall. It took me 5.5 years to get my engineering degree from start to finish. I also weighed 135 pounds when I graduated college on my 6' 0" frame. Everything seemed normal too and we weren't complaining.
Moral of the story: If you want something bad enough you will sacrifice to get it because the reward is worth the sacrifice.
Imbedded in this post seems to be the assumption that these students aren't working hard and aren't making sacrifices. If you're food insecure due (in part or in full) to college expenses, you're literally making sacrifices. You're sacrificing food for education.
Maybe it does seem normal to you that some people need to go hungry in order to obtain an education, but I don't want to accept that as normal. I think we can do better.13 -
I call BS too. An SJW with an MD. A potentially deadly combination.
College campuses mostly have multiple cafeterias and stunning options not too mention dozens, if not hundreds of choices right off campus. Even in a small college town like Hamilton NY, there is plenty to go around.
"Food insecurity" is a made up SJW term to justify mite government interference I the market please. That is all it is. Nothing more.14 -
While we're sharing anecdotal evidence; The school I teach at has an unusually large number of 1st generation and below the poverty line students, but I haven't heard much about students going hungry. We have issues, but that isn't one of them.3
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I call BS too. An SJW with an MD. A potentially deadly combination.
College campuses mostly have multiple cafeterias and stunning options not too mention dozens, if not hundreds of choices right off campus. Even in a small college town like Hamilton NY, there is plenty to go around.
"Food insecurity" is a made up SJW term to justify mite government interference I the market please. That is all it is. Nothing more.
I don't think the point is that food isn't available, but that students can't pay for it. And maybe I missed it, but the article didn't suggest "government interference". Just that parents should be aware this can be a problem, and what resources are available to students that are struggling.6 -
I call BS too. An SJW with an MD. A potentially deadly combination.
College campuses mostly have multiple cafeterias and stunning options not too mention dozens, if not hundreds of choices right off campus. Even in a small college town like Hamilton NY, there is plenty to go around.
"Food insecurity" is a made up SJW term to justify mite government interference I the market please. That is all it is. Nothing more.
Social justice is not just. Social justice punishes those who have done no wrong and rewards those who have not been wronged. It is fundamentally flawed.13 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Imbedded in this post seems to be the assumption that these students aren't working hard and aren't making sacrifices. If you're food insecure due (in part or in full) to college expenses, you're literally making sacrifices. You're sacrificing food for education.
Maybe it does seem normal to you that some people need to go hungry in order to obtain an education, but I don't want to accept that as normal. I think we can do better.
There was no hidden meaning in my post...nothing was "embedded." I wrote about my personal experience. And my personal experience leads me to the same conclusion:
If you want something bad enough you will sacrifice to get it because the reward is worth the sacrifice.
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I call BS too. An SJW with an MD. A potentially deadly combination.
College campuses mostly have multiple cafeterias and stunning options not too mention dozens, if not hundreds of choices right off campus. Even in a small college town like Hamilton NY, there is plenty to go around.
"Food insecurity" is a made up SJW term to justify mite government interference I the market please. That is all it is. Nothing more.
Is your claim that the food is being given away for free? All the food options in the world aren't going to help someone who doesn't have sufficient money to pay for it.7 -
These always turn into a "how I had it worse and did just fine" thread about "back in my day..."10
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jillybeansalad wrote: »These always turn into a "how I had it worse and did just fine" thread about "back in my day..."
That's because someone who didn't have it worse and did just fine is disinclined to participate.4 -
Tweaking_Time wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Imbedded in this post seems to be the assumption that these students aren't working hard and aren't making sacrifices. If you're food insecure due (in part or in full) to college expenses, you're literally making sacrifices. You're sacrificing food for education.
Maybe it does seem normal to you that some people need to go hungry in order to obtain an education, but I don't want to accept that as normal. I think we can do better.
There was no hidden meaning in my post...nothing was "embedded." I wrote about my personal experience. And my personal experience leads me to the same conclusion:
If you want something bad enough you will sacrifice to get it because the reward is worth the sacrifice.
Exactly. When i got out of the USAF in '83, my first job had me surrounded by people who complained all day. So i applied to one college. I played the legacy card, I must admit. After, my high school transcript was not a predictor of academic success.
Got accepted. Went to school full time and worked 30 hours a week.
One does what one must. Or do nothing and suffer the consequences.
I did what I had to. And soon after graduating I was earning more than my former colleagues and they were still complaining all day.7 -
College athletes usually follow a strict eating plan set by the team, this kid will be fine, this is a BS article.
I have two Children in college, they eat better than we do.6 -
Hunger in general is a real thing for some. Never mind young people on a college campus.
I live in Canada and I can tell you that there is no free meals for most university/college students on campus.
I won't comment too much except to say those that are hungry at college chances are this is not the first time they have had that feeling. If you didn't experience hunger growing up you probably are going to have help at college too.
Not saying that is 100% but in general that hunger sensitivity is from previous life.
If those who have it do what is needed they can get over it...for example food banks or soup kitchens...
If you are too prideful for those things then sorry no sympathy here.5 -
Tweaking_Time wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Imbedded in this post seems to be the assumption that these students aren't working hard and aren't making sacrifices. If you're food insecure due (in part or in full) to college expenses, you're literally making sacrifices. You're sacrificing food for education.
Maybe it does seem normal to you that some people need to go hungry in order to obtain an education, but I don't want to accept that as normal. I think we can do better.
There was no hidden meaning in my post...nothing was "embedded." I wrote about my personal experience. And my personal experience leads me to the same conclusion:
If you want something bad enough you will sacrifice to get it because the reward is worth the sacrifice.
Exactly. When i got out of the USAF in '83, my first job had me surrounded by people who complained all day. So i applied to one college. I played the legacy card, I must admit. After, my high school transcript was not a predictor of academic success.
Got accepted. Went to school full time and worked 30 hours a week.
One does what one must. Or do nothing and suffer the consequences.
I did what I had to. And soon after graduating I was earning more than my former colleagues and they were still complaining all day.
Did you miss the part of the article which stated that over half of all these students suffering food insecurity DO have jobs?
I'm currently a university student. I finished my 3 year degree and I'm about to start a master's degree - because frankly, these days, uni graduates with just a bachelor's degree don't get far. You need a master's to stand out. I'm extremely lucky that I don't have food insecurity most of the time. A lot of my friends do. Many of them have jobs, as well. My ex didn't eat for almost a week until his mum scraped enough money together to give him some. I've been looking for a job (any job...retail, whatever) but I've not even gotten an interview let alone actually securing anything. In my city, there aren't many jobs. The ones that there are expect full time workers, but I have lectures all day thrice a week so I can only work part-time. I'd work anywhere at this point, but there's nothing. Wages haven't gone up in line with inflation either. Most people complaining about these 'lazy college students' are in the older generation. What cost £50 in your day will cost £100 now, but wages have barely risen. So even when I do get a job, it won't change much. If I didn't have my student loan, there's no chance I would have been able to go to university at all.
Another big difference is post-university jobs. My godmother (who went to uni with my mum (who sadly died when I was little)) said that when she graduated in the 80s, companies were all trying to get graduates into their business and it was a case of picking and choosing which job you wanted. Your wages were then enough to move out into your own house or rented place. She recognised that it's not like that these days. Businesses want someone with experience, but you can't get experience without a job, but you can't get a job without experience... see where I'm going? Unpaid apprenticeships/internships are an option but they're full time and unpaid - how do you support yourself in the meantime? You have to move back home with your parents, if you can. And then all the older adults moan at you for being a lazy millennial who lives with their parents.8 -
If you have a full ride scholarship but can't figure out how to get food, then maybe college isn't for you.1
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Since I finished college (less than a decade), the tuition at my alma mater has gone up $10k. Since 2000, tuition has more than doubled. This is way faster than inflation. Many scholarships do not cover a meal plan.
Enough hating on millennials. Our world is different; job security lower, stagnant wages, and the cost of an education is a massive burden for many. Millennial poverty is also a huge issue with many causes; we have to address the causes but meanwhile yeah there are students who do skip meals and go hungry in order to make ends meet. I can't judge, my parents were able to pay for my education and cost of living. Good for me. That's not everyone's story.
Whatever you feel about youth culture and young people and us "entitled" millennials, we are getting squeezed more than previous generations. And anyone who suggests skipping out on college: you try and get a job without a bachelors. Degrees are markers of class as much as they are of skill, it buys access that pays off in the long run.
People kill themselves over student debt too. The student loan system is broken. And if you think you're guaranteed a job when you graduate but that rug is pulled out from under you, then it's your problem? We can't financially plan with so much uncertainty.
So yeah even though I was/am fine, have no loans, this isn't the story for many of my peers. Stop hating on poor people.7 -
Since I finished college (less than a decade), the tuition at my alma mater has gone up $10k. Since 2000, tuition has more than doubled. This is way faster than inflation. Many scholarships do not cover a meal plan.
Enough hating on millennials. Our world is different; job security lower, stagnant wages, and the cost of an education is a massive burden for many. Millennial poverty is also a huge issue with many causes; we have to address the causes but meanwhile yeah there are students who do skip meals and go hungry in order to make ends meet. I can't judge, my parents were able to pay for my education and cost of living. Good for me. That's not everyone's story.
Whatever you feel about youth culture and young people and us "entitled" millennials, we are getting squeezed more than previous generations. And anyone who suggests skipping out on college: you try and get a job without a bachelors. Degrees are markers of class as much as they are of skill, it buys access that pays off in the long run.
People kill themselves over student debt too. The student loan system is broken. And if you think you're guaranteed a job when you graduate but that rug is pulled out from under you, then it's your problem? We can't financially plan with so much uncertainty.
So yeah even though I was/am fine, have no loans, this isn't the story for many of my peers. Stop hating on poor people.
not all college students are Millenials btw...just saying. Not all College students suffer from hunger...and not all that do are millenials. I know lots of adults finally getting to college and bam hungry.
and FYI you aren't getting squeezed any more than Generation X did...just differently. This coming from a woman who has a son who is 23 and I see what is going on.
For example like you we paid for his college...he is a welder...great trade to be in up here...but he can't get an apprenticeship in his home province and has gone from Welding job to welding job...finally giving up on it and is going back to school to get a different trade on his own dime. We are helping as he can live with us and save up tuition etc.
But guess what my brother who is over 2x my sons age the above is his exact story...except my parents couldn't pay for his college or help in any way as they had 6 other kids...but he got his trade, went hungry (be we did as kids anyway) couldn't get a job in his trade...tried finally went to another type of work.
so tell me again how you are all getting squeezed harder?2 -
Since I finished college (less than a decade), the tuition at my alma mater has gone up $10k. Since 2000, tuition has more than doubled. This is way faster than inflation. Many scholarships do not cover a meal plan.
Enough hating on millennials. Our world is different; job security lower, stagnant wages, and the cost of an education is a massive burden for many. Millennial poverty is also a huge issue with many causes; we have to address the causes but meanwhile yeah there are students who do skip meals and go hungry in order to make ends meet. I can't judge, my parents were able to pay for my education and cost of living. Good for me. That's not everyone's story.
Whatever you feel about youth culture and young people and us "entitled" millennials, we are getting squeezed more than previous generations. And anyone who suggests skipping out on college: you try and get a job without a bachelors. Degrees are markers of class as much as they are of skill, it buys access that pays off in the long run.
People kill themselves over student debt too. The student loan system is broken. And if you think you're guaranteed a job when you graduate but that rug is pulled out from under you, then it's your problem? We can't financially plan with so much uncertainty.
So yeah even though I was/am fine, have no loans, this isn't the story for many of my peers. Stop hating on poor people.
FYI you aren't getting squeezed any more than Generation X did...just differently
so tell me again how you are all getting squeezed harder?
Well said! Gen X faced all those same things...worst job market since WWII, stagnating wages which have decreased in real terms to below 1970 levels, high student loan interest rates (8.5%), High tuition, need for a degree for entry level jobs. Plus....just when we were finally able to get on the property market in early 2000s, it has to go and crash to one third its value....wiping out our equity, our 401(k) retirements and putting us all in even more debt. At least millenials came of age during a bull market where if they bought a cheap house after the crash, they've seen it triple in value unlike Gen X. But then Gen X is the forgotten, baby bust generation, there are very few of us.3 -
Since I finished college (less than a decade), the tuition at my alma mater has gone up $10k. Since 2000, tuition has more than doubled. This is way faster than inflation. Many scholarships do not cover a meal plan.
Enough hating on millennials. Our world is different; job security lower, stagnant wages, and the cost of an education is a massive burden for many. Millennial poverty is also a huge issue with many causes; we have to address the causes but meanwhile yeah there are students who do skip meals and go hungry in order to make ends meet. I can't judge, my parents were able to pay for my education and cost of living. Good for me. That's not everyone's story.
Whatever you feel about youth culture and young people and us "entitled" millennials, we are getting squeezed more than previous generations. And anyone who suggests skipping out on college: you try and get a job without a bachelors. Degrees are markers of class as much as they are of skill, it buys access that pays off in the long run.
People kill themselves over student debt too. The student loan system is broken. And if you think you're guaranteed a job when you graduate but that rug is pulled out from under you, then it's your problem? We can't financially plan with so much uncertainty.
So yeah even though I was/am fine, have no loans, this isn't the story for many of my peers. Stop hating on poor people.
FYI you aren't getting squeezed any more than Generation X did...just differently
so tell me again how you are all getting squeezed harder?
Well said! Gen X faced all those same things...worst job market since WWII, stagnating wages which have decreased in real terms to below 1970 levels, high student loan interest rates (8.5%), High tuition, need for a degree for entry level jobs. Plus....just when we were finally able to get on the property market in early 2000s, it has to go and crash to one third its value....wiping out our equity, our 401(k) retirements and putting us all in even more debt. At least millenials came of age during a bull market where if they bought a cheap house after the crash, they've seen it triple in value unlike Gen X. But then Gen X is the forgotten, baby bust generation, there are very few of us.
Of COURSE previous generations struggled. And maybe we're not any worse off than other generations. But advice from previous generations on how to get ahead no longer always applies; again, our world is different. Gen X/boomers faced things like the Madoff scam and the housing crash, the tech bubble bursting. But now every article seems to be hating on what millennials are ruining. Bank accounts, diamonds, television, malls... We're the WORST! And yeah I know agism works in both directions (my mom was unemployed in tech at age 68 and job searching was super *kitten* for her)... our society gives us fewer opportunities than ever for people of all ages to interact. But I digress.
My point is people who don't think that college students (of any age) can be making a practical decision while also being in such abject poverty to get there that they do in fact experience food insecurity, are making blanket statements about others' experiences of which they know nothing about. I understand the objection to the weak example in the original article; it just makes no sense to extrapolate this to all college students. The original article also cites statistics on the disparity of the racial and socioeconomic makeup of students with food insecurity; saying that those students shouldn't go to college if they can't afford it ignores that it's a huge stepping stone to getting ahead. We can't know their challenges. And the students gaining the freshman 15 are NOT the same ones who are going hungry.6 -
Since I finished college (less than a decade), the tuition at my alma mater has gone up $10k. Since 2000, tuition has more than doubled. This is way faster than inflation. Many scholarships do not cover a meal plan.
Enough hating on millennials. Our world is different; job security lower, stagnant wages, and the cost of an education is a massive burden for many. Millennial poverty is also a huge issue with many causes; we have to address the causes but meanwhile yeah there are students who do skip meals and go hungry in order to make ends meet. I can't judge, my parents were able to pay for my education and cost of living. Good for me. That's not everyone's story.
Whatever you feel about youth culture and young people and us "entitled" millennials, we are getting squeezed more than previous generations. And anyone who suggests skipping out on college: you try and get a job without a bachelors. Degrees are markers of class as much as they are of skill, it buys access that pays off in the long run.
People kill themselves over student debt too. The student loan system is broken. And if you think you're guaranteed a job when you graduate but that rug is pulled out from under you, then it's your problem? We can't financially plan with so much uncertainty.
So yeah even though I was/am fine, have no loans, this isn't the story for many of my peers. Stop hating on poor people.
FYI you aren't getting squeezed any more than Generation X did...just differently
so tell me again how you are all getting squeezed harder?
Well said! Gen X faced all those same things...worst job market since WWII, stagnating wages which have decreased in real terms to below 1970 levels, high student loan interest rates (8.5%), High tuition, need for a degree for entry level jobs. Plus....just when we were finally able to get on the property market in early 2000s, it has to go and crash to one third its value....wiping out our equity, our 401(k) retirements and putting us all in even more debt. At least millenials came of age during a bull market where if they bought a cheap house after the crash, they've seen it triple in value unlike Gen X. But then Gen X is the forgotten, baby bust generation, there are very few of us.
Of COURSE previous generations struggled. And maybe we're not any worse off than other generations. But advice from previous generations on how to get ahead no longer always applies; again, our world is different. Gen X/boomers faced things like the Madoff scam and the housing crash, the tech bubble bursting. But now every article seems to be hating on what millennials are ruining. Bank accounts, diamonds, television, malls... We're the WORST! And yeah I know agism works in both directions (my mom was unemployed in tech at age 68 and job searching was super *kitten* for her)... our society gives us fewer opportunities than ever for people of all ages to interact. But I digress.
My point is people who don't think that college students (of any age) can be making a practical decision while also being in such abject poverty to get there that they do in fact experience food insecurity, are making blanket statements about others' experiences of which they know nothing about. I understand the objection to the weak example in the original article; it just makes no sense to extrapolate this to all college students. The original article also cites statistics on the disparity of the racial and socioeconomic makeup of students with food insecurity; saying that those students shouldn't go to college if they can't afford it ignores that it's a huge stepping stone to getting ahead. We can't know their challenges. And the students gaining the freshman 15 are NOT the same ones who are going hungry.
YOu are correct and we face the same thing from previous generations.
However I say this again...if you are hungry in college you were hungry before college because those who are not hungry before college probably can go back to the parents/family and get help...(not 100% but most of them)
Hunger insecurity isn't created over a short period of time...it is ingrained due to previous life experiences and those who are experiencing hunger insecurity probably went hungry as a child/teenager due to poverty but don't get to bent out of shape over it because it is what it is...and they are "used" to it.
My thing is this...if you are not buying food to pay rent...go to a food bank or soup kitchen....don't be too prideful.
ETA: I say this because I was poor growing up and food well...yah we went hungry and I will make sure my son doesn't ever know what it's like....ever if I can help it.2 -
Since I finished college (less than a decade), the tuition at my alma mater has gone up $10k. Since 2000, tuition has more than doubled. This is way faster than inflation. Many scholarships do not cover a meal plan.
Enough hating on millennials. Our world is different; job security lower, stagnant wages, and the cost of an education is a massive burden for many. Millennial poverty is also a huge issue with many causes; we have to address the causes but meanwhile yeah there are students who do skip meals and go hungry in order to make ends meet. I can't judge, my parents were able to pay for my education and cost of living. Good for me. That's not everyone's story.
Whatever you feel about youth culture and young people and us "entitled" millennials, we are getting squeezed more than previous generations. And anyone who suggests skipping out on college: you try and get a job without a bachelors. Degrees are markers of class as much as they are of skill, it buys access that pays off in the long run.
People kill themselves over student debt too. The student loan system is broken. And if you think you're guaranteed a job when you graduate but that rug is pulled out from under you, then it's your problem? We can't financially plan with so much uncertainty.
So yeah even though I was/am fine, have no loans, this isn't the story for many of my peers. Stop hating on poor people.
FYI you aren't getting squeezed any more than Generation X did...just differently
so tell me again how you are all getting squeezed harder?
Well said! Gen X faced all those same things...worst job market since WWII, stagnating wages which have decreased in real terms to below 1970 levels, high student loan interest rates (8.5%), High tuition, need for a degree for entry level jobs. Plus....just when we were finally able to get on the property market in early 2000s, it has to go and crash to one third its value....wiping out our equity, our 401(k) retirements and putting us all in even more debt. At least millenials came of age during a bull market where if they bought a cheap house after the crash, they've seen it triple in value unlike Gen X. But then Gen X is the forgotten, baby bust generation, there are very few of us.
Of COURSE previous generations struggled. And maybe we're not any worse off than other generations. But advice from previous generations on how to get ahead no longer always applies; again, our world is different. Gen X/boomers faced things like the Madoff scam and the housing crash, the tech bubble bursting. But now every article seems to be hating on what millennials are ruining. Bank accounts, diamonds, television, malls... We're the WORST! And yeah I know agism works in both directions (my mom was unemployed in tech at age 68 and job searching was super *kitten* for her)... our society gives us fewer opportunities than ever for people of all ages to interact. But I digress.
My point is people who don't think that college students (of any age) can be making a practical decision while also being in such abject poverty to get there that they do in fact experience food insecurity, are making blanket statements about others' experiences of which they know nothing about. I understand the objection to the weak example in the original article; it just makes no sense to extrapolate this to all college students. The original article also cites statistics on the disparity of the racial and socioeconomic makeup of students with food insecurity; saying that those students shouldn't go to college if they can't afford it ignores that it's a huge stepping stone to getting ahead. We can't know their challenges. And the students gaining the freshman 15 are NOT the same ones who are going hungry.
YOu are correct and we face the same thing from previous generations.
However I say this again...if you are hungry in college you were hungry before college because those who are not hungry before college probably can go back to the parents/family and get help...
My thing is this...if you are not buying food to pay rent...go to a food bank or soup kitchen....don't be too prideful..
I agree with you as I grew up pretty hungry. Only thing I'd say is that during the times I was in poverty as a young independent teen not living at "home", I could not get to a food bank ( no money for transportation) and was turned away by a soup kitchen as I was not "officially" homeless. So just wanted to say it's not always possible to get food. If it were always possible then people wouldn't need to dumpster dive.
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