A new study highlights the struggles many University of Hawaiʻi students face when it comes to meeting basic needs, and recommends actions that could improve the university’s ability to support them.
Researchers surveyed some 2,700 students throughout February across the 10-campus system about access to housing, clothing and other necessities.
The report found that 60% of the surveyed students suffer from one type of severe food insecurity, meaning they were concerned about running out of food before they got the money to buy more. Some 40% reported that “they felt hungry in the last 12 months but did not have money to buy food.”
About one-third said they don’t seek medical care — also for financial reasons. About 20% said they don’t have a safe place to stay or sleep, and 7% said they're homeless. Additionally, 10% missed at least one class in the last year because of clothing insecurity.
Albie Miles, an associate professor of sustainable community food systems at UH West Oʻahu who co-authored the study, said the ability of students to fill those basic needs plays a role in their well-being and academic performance.
“The concern about this is, I think, perhaps obvious, and that is students who are under increased stress in meeting their basic needs often do not perform as well in higher education. And it limits their ability to succeed in college and move on to later stages of personal and professional development,” Miles said.
Students were also asked about their access to transportation and technology — money for gas or laptops and phones — as well as their psychological well-being. But the issue isn’t unique to UH.
The study said, “The unprecedented financial strains and systemic challenges in higher education over the last 40 years have profoundly intensified insecurities related to basic needs and deeply deteriorated the well-being of college students across the nation.”
Declining rates of state funding and increasing tuition and operational costs of universities, along with a lack of awareness about support services, have led to difficulties in meeting basic needs.
The study recommends that UH improve student services to meet their basic needs, such as by reforming its financial aid model to better cover the full cost of students’ attendance, rather than just tuition.
And despite federal cuts to social services like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, researchers called for changes in safety net programs that include college students.
The study also recommends a comprehensive “basic needs hub” on each UH campus that centralizes resources for food, housing, clothing, and hygiene.
UH has worked over the last few years to create a repository for students looking for resources. A website with links for campus-specific resources is available for students.
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