Universities Change
Demographics of Food Stamp Use
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By Lindsey Wilbur
According to data issued by the USDA last December, 38
percent of eligible Americans do not take advantage of food stamp
assistance.
In recent years, research has been done to show that college
students are among those who do not utilize food assistance available to
them.
The guidelines for food stamp qualification make it apparent that low-income families are the program’s primary beneficiaries. Determinants for food stamp allotment such as number of dependent children, indicate that the audience targeted for the nutritional aid is comprised of families.
Further, federal data of Americans’ food stamp usage
measures participants in terms of households rather than
individuals; an indication that assistance is primarily being provided to
families.
“Half of all food stamp users are children,” said Alyssa
Geisler, Utahns Against Hunger volunteer.
“We’ve worked with some students, but the majority of people we help
with food stamps are families with kids or seniors.”
However, this demographic may be changing, and the
University of Utah is among schools that are facilitating the shift.
In the past few years, universities across the country have
been making efforts to educate students about the food stamp program, and how
to apply for assistance. The
University of Utah now stands among these schools.
“We really want to be working on our outreach promoting the
resources available,” said Jen Colbe, Campus Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Utah.
Among efforts made at the university to facilitate student
use of food stamps, is the Office of Sustainability’s work to get the campus
farmer’s market approved to accept food stamps from customers.
Further, two sections of the course, Communication and
Social Responsibility, are being taught at the University of Utah this
semester, which incorporate food stamp awareness into their curriculum.
Students from these classes will be participating in
the food stamp challenge in November, a competition that challenges students to
live on the budget that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
provides for its recipients.
Additionally, the university campus has been an area of advertising for
the food stamp challenge as a way to encourage other students to participate and become
aware of the difficulty food stamp recipients face to incorporate nutritious
food into their diets.
Transitioning from a primarily family-focused government aid
program to one that is used by all those in need of it however, has not
happened immediately.
Farmers selling their produce at the campus farmer’s market
said that while they have gained a steady clientele of regulars who use food
stamps, few of them are students.
Jensen Farms owner, Ron Jensen said that only a small number
of his food stamp using customers are students.
Jensen supports the food stamp program and said
that food stamp users appreciate the ability “...to get fresh, nutritional fruit for their money... A lot of (food stamp users) will even come down (to
the market) when the weather is crummy,” Jensen said.
While Jensen sees the positive aspect of the SNAP program,
many Americans have a negative view of food stamps.
In 2010 when University of Oregon student Anna Crist, celebrated
the approval of her food stamp application on Facebook, she was met by numerous
comments from fellow students; many of whom disagreed with her participation in
the program.
“I think it depends on the criteria,” said Danielle
Tindugan, senior nursing student at the University of Utah in regards to
student food stamp use. “I think
if people are on food stamps they should really be in need,” Tindugan
said.
However other students disagree with Tindugan's stance and recognize a need for nutritional assistance among college students.
“If students are taking classes full time, they really can’t
get a job,” said Malcolm Zachariah, freshmen biological chemistry major. “People have assumptions about those
who apply for food stamps… I think the people who are upset have a preconceived
notion about food stamp assistance being a burden,” Zachariah said.
The USDA promotes the program on its website as temporary
and supplemental assistance to enable people earning a low-income to maintain a
healthy diet despite their small budget, and while the criteria for students to be approved for the program is
more strict than for non-students, college students do comply with the USDA’s
idea of providing temporary assistance in a time of financial insecurity.
The low budget many college students must live on is a
result of the amount of time they devote to earning a degree said
Zachariah. Indeed, earning a
college degree grants students the ability to make a sufficient living for
themselves upon graduation, meaning that assistance to a college student is
likely to end upon graduation.
University of Utah is continuing to advocate for student use of food stamps even though students remain an atypical demographic for the program.
In November, the students of the University of Utah’s
Communication and Social Responsibility courses will be hosting a Social Soup
event designed to increase student awareness of food stamp use, which will
continue to shape the evolving perceptions of this government program.
For information on the SNAP policy and application criteria visit
these sites:
Utah Department of Administrative Services:
Utahns Against Hunger:
US Department of Agriculture:
This is a great article and topic regarding food justice. I honestly hadn't thought about the vastly unrepresented demographic of college students not using food stamp assistance. I think the most intriguing point that was brought up here was the stigma surrounding food stamps, held by both outside observers and actual or potential users of foods stamps. Perhaps it would give your article more of personal and relatable touch if you delved further into specific individual’s beliefs, the nursing student you quoted for example. College students in need of financial assistance with food can come from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and thusly may have varying opinions and presumptions about what it means to be using foods stamps. Addressing this issue may help to disassemble negative beliefs regarding the program –on both sides –and increase participation. The only other thing I could add would be in regards to your format. Sentences within a continuous thought were spaced apart and therefore the entire article gravitated towards being a list of facts and comments, rather than a cohesive presentation. Other than that, it was an informative and interesting article to read.
ReplyDelete-Alasdair Waddell, COMM 3030 Student
This was a very informative article. I happen to be of the opinion that college students should be allowed to be on food stamps for the exact reasons stated above. Many students are taking out loans just to pay the rising costs of tuition and don't even take into consideration the cost of a healthy diet. Well done in getting the word out!
ReplyDeletePaul C