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Report: 58% of University of Hawaiʻi Students Experience Basic Needs Insecurity

LA Johnson
/
NPR

A recent University of Hawaiʻi student survey report shows that 58% of students experience at least one form of basic needs insecurity.

About 39% of students reported facing food insecurity within 30 days of taking the survey. Nearly half of UH students experienced housing insecurity and 14% experienced homelessness in 2020.

"Many people dismiss it as the starving student. Many of us experienced some level of discomfort and challenges as an undergraduate student, but we’re really starting to see students experiencing significant risk to their wellbeing and ability to complete higher education," said Albie Miles,Chair of the UH Basic Needs Committee.

"Due to the fact that a lot of financial aid is not keeping up with the overall cost of higher education, you’re seeing many students falling into this category of being basic needs insecure," he explained.

The survey was sent to 48,133 students by email, and 1,106 students responded, giving the study a 2.1% response rate. Although the response rate is low, the study results were consistent with national studies on student basic needs insecurity.

Resources for UH students facing basic needs security can be found at the UH Student Basic Needs website.

Zoe Dym was a news producer at Hawaiʻi Public Radio.
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