Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.
Hunger on college campuses: it's a real thing
Replies
-
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 $15 for cord-wood, cut at 4 or 8 feet in length and sold to the Kingsford plant the next town over. About once per month, when the Wendy's all-you-can-eat soup/salad bar had something that resembled chili, we would splurge and eat out. We always seemed to have money for cheap beer on Friday and Saturday night too.
I dropped out of school one spring/summer to make more money so I could afford to go back to the University in the fall. It took me 5.5 years to get my engineering degree from start to finish. I also weighed 135 pounds when I graduated college on my 6' 0" frame. Everything seemed normal too and we weren't complaining.
Moral of the story: If you want something bad enough you will sacrifice to get it because the reward is worth the sacrifice.
8 -
I think growing up is going through times of insecurity about food and housing, and other things. I bet kids who don't go to college are food insecure around that age too. We can help alleviate some of it -there a lot of events on campus which have food- however we are also trying to teach students responsibility, and sometimes that means going hungry because you spent too much elsewhere, or just because you really don't have the means. But the way I see it, we all have to learn how to budget and control our money at some point. Sometimes we have to sacrifice comfort for that education. College isn't just about what you learn in the classroom.3
-
Odd. I'm a college student and I have no issues buying enough for the month. What the heck is their budget?? So give up th idea of eating steak and lobster! A 10lb bag of chicken leg quarters is .60-.79 cent a pound so 7$-8$ per bag. That will last a single person at least two weeks! (Should be more like three but whatever..) A head of lettuce will last a single person a week. .99 cents. Lunch meat that isn't the greatest? 2$. Should come with 12-14 slices. Loaf of bread is .98 cents for Walmart brand. I'm not seeing the issue here except maybe these kids want imported wine on beer budgets.11
-
One of my fellow students last term literally lives in a van. My girlfriend in freshman year was homeless. Of course college students can have trouble with affording the ammenities, and it's barely comparable to when some of you in this thread went to college. But the article, meh, this isn't happening as much with kids with full scholarships.4
-
This crossed my mind and was actually mentioned by a neurologist (can't remember his name). But because of all the "multitasking" that everyone is trying to do, our brains become "overloaded" in thinking. Now because that takes energy and carbs are the easiest source of energy for many, carbs are taken in a much higher volume than the other macros. So I wouldn't be surprised that many people who spend a lot of time studying, end up eating consistently. Now mind you this may just be correlation, but I'll try to find the neurologist who wrote about this.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »To those who are reacting so negatively to the idea that people in college can experience food insecurity, is the thought that bad things can't really be happening in someone's life if they're going to college?
Note that a good chunk of these students are going to community colleges. This isn't a case of Yale students spending their allowance on alcohol and iPhones and having to skip some meals until they get more money from their parents. That isn't what is being discussed here.
I went to a community college for two years and then a public state college after that. The pressures of paying rent, keeping a car running, getting food . . . these were reality for me and many of my classmates. And that's on top of the regular college expenses. Some people are fortunate enough to have parents help them out, but there are many students who don't have that. A college student can be just as vulnerable to hunger as anyone else.
I pretty much fitted the bill for food insecurity in college and it wasn't a matter of not handling my finances well...I've always handled my finances well which ultimately led to me going into accountancy and a career in accounting...
When I was in college I worked as many hours as I could work while still managing to get to class and study. I brought home maybe $800/month. My rent alone was more than half of that for a tiny little one room apartment in a crappy neighborhood. Then I had tuition and books to deal with along with other bills like utilities, etc...and then finally food.
I started college with a car and quickly realized I did not have the means to fuel it, pay insurance and repair it, so I sold it and bought a bike. In the summers I worked full time in landscape construction and moonlighted at the store I worked at during the school year for some extra cash that I could put away for the school year...
But having enough money for food was still an issue and at certain times of the month was very much a question mark. I subsided largely on beans and rice as a dietary staple. Getting a whole chicken or chicken parts on discount was a real treat.
I started out at community college too before transferring to the University to get my upper level credits. My parents were poverty level for most of my life and unable to help with college or anything like that, so I was on my own in that regard.
It's not a sob story...it is reality for a lot of students. Not everyone gains the freshman 15...I sure didn't. Things turned the corner for me when I met my now wife who was already graduated and starting a budding career and was kind enough to make me something for dinner other than rice and beans and chicken legs a couple nights per week...13 -
janejellyroll wrote: »To those who are reacting so negatively to the idea that people in college can experience food insecurity, is the thought that bad things can't really be happening in someone's life if they're going to college?
Note that a good chunk of these students are going to community colleges. This isn't a case of Yale students spending their allowance on alcohol and iPhones and having to skip some meals until they get more money from their parents. That isn't what is being discussed here.
I went to a community college for two years and then a public state college after that. The pressures of paying rent, keeping a car running, getting food . . . these were reality for me and many of my classmates. And that's on top of the regular college expenses. Some people are fortunate enough to have parents help them out, but there are many students who don't have that. A college student can be just as vulnerable to hunger as anyone else.
Well said. I teach at a community college, and many of our students are on pell grants. Many have families, so it isn't just them. A group of instructors and staff have opened a food pantry. Instructors who know of students in need can refer them. It is nice, but I am sure it doesn't come close to what is needed.9 -
I'm all over the place when it comes to this topic and I fully admit it.
I've become pretty annoyed with the general attitude of people around me that when you're in college, whether you are 18, 25, or 46, you are exempt from all or most normal life responsibilities. I think that's a crock. I also think it's ridiculous that almost every twentysomething I know lives at home with their parents for 4-5 years (or longer) post-college even when they have jobs, because I feel like it builds character to start your independent adult life when you are young and struggling is part of that.
But on the other hand, I know things are really different now than they were in the 80s and 90s, and I think it is important to note just HOW different. When I was in college during 1995-2000, my (state school) tuition was around $2,000 per semester. Now at the same university it's $6,800. I earned between $6-8 per hour at my cashier, clerk & entry level social services jobs and I worked full-time so I was able to pay for a low cost apartment, gas, insurance, groceries, and cover my books & tuition that my small scholarship didn't cover (when I say "small scholarship" I mean it...roughly 20% of my tuition). Right now in my small Midwestern city, entry level jobs pay $8-10. $12 if you're really lucky. Just quickly running those numbers, it is clear to me that it's not the same ballgame for college students today. My first apartment was $360/month and there is literally nothing here for that now. My city has one of the lowest cost-of-living in the U.S. too. It's just not the same world as it was in 1989 or 1999 or even 2009. So when some of us look back to our college days it's not really fair to compare apples to oranges.
BUT that's also why I roll my eyes when I know 27 year old college graduates making a very nice salary who live with their moms and can't imagine ever having to rent, or drive a used car, or not have cable AND Hulu AND Netflix...and so on and so on forever.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »
Someone can be fortunate in the sense that they are going to college and still have real problems. If someone was going to college and had cancer, I wouldn't scoff at their "first world problems." Same with not having enough to eat. It's a real problem, even if you're a college student.
Being in the First World and earning a minimum wage puts one in the top 10% of income earners worldwide.
All Americans have one testicle and one ovary. Now we've both said something statistically true that loses meaning when we talk about individuals.
It's great people make more than a goat herder in Ethiopia. Too bad about first world living expenses though.
Let's make an offer to both the impoverished US college student and Ethiopian goat herder to change places.
If after a year it's not working out both parties are allowed to return to their original places, only both have to agree to it.9 -
My DH is a professor at state U in the MidWest and food insecurity is a huge problem in his college. Fees for in-state students are around 12k (6k a semester for tuition) a semester. There is no "free three meals a day" - there is a $4,500 semester room and board fee. This is due at the beginning of the semester so many students try to avoid the upfront costs by by forgoing room and board and living on their own.
There are part time jobs in the area but most pay minimum wage (around $8 an hour) and most students can't work around their school schedules to fit in full time work.
My DH's school was seeing big drops in attendance around the first of the month as people scrambled to work extra shifts to hit their rent.
The faculty started a food pantry and it is utilized regularly by students (and adjuncts - but that is a whole other problem).6 -
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
-
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.
8 -
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
-
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
-
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.
2
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions