Nazun Advocacy

Join us in advocating for fundamental, universal, equitable, long-term state and federal 

solutions to campus hunger and #FUELHigherEd

The most recent national study, published by Temple University’s Hope Center in February 2020, reports 39% of college students are food insecure.

 Defined by the USDA as having limited or uncertain access to adequate food, food insecurity has been proven to have a negative impact on students’ mental health (causing such problems as lower cognition rates, anger or anxiety leading to prolonged psychological distress, and more) and has damaging long term effects including worse health outcomes, lower academic performance, and lower graduation rates than for those who are food secure. This means the effects of food insecurity have both immediate and long-term consequences.

While this web of struggles can seem daunting to untangle, everyone from medical professionals to social workers agree that a person’s basic needs–food and housing–need to be met first for any other intervention to have a lasting impact.

Campus food insecurity is a problem of allocation not scarcity. Colleges and universities produce twenty-two million pounds of food waste every year and many campuses’ exorbitantly priced meal plans and limited dining hall hours result in millions of unused meal swipes every semester.

 NAZUN, national leadership development organization, spearheading this campaign, launched an initiative in 2016 called the Campus Hunger Project to build and train a movement of students to bridge the gap between campus services and students in need. We believe no student should have to choose between food and their education.

 #FUELHigherEd is the next step in building our movement by galvanizing our network of 100+ local and national organizations behind this campaign.

While this web of struggles can seem daunting to untangle, everyone from medical professionals to social workers agree that a person’s basic needs–food and housing–need to be met first for any other intervention to have a lasting impact.

A 2019 GAO report confirmed what researchers have known for decades: the image of a traditional college student — enrolled right out of high school, financially dependent on their parents, unemployed — is outdated. Today:

  • The national average age for first enrollment is 21 and the overall average age of undergraduates is 26.
  • 50% of enrolled college students are financially independent.
  • 39% come from low-income households.
  • 22% have dependent children and 14% are single parents.
  • 25% work full-time and 64% work part-time while carrying full course loads.

 Add to this soaring tuition costs, stagnated income levels, and shrinking federal and state aid, and students’ ability to afford their basic needs —like stable housing and regular access to enough food — is in crisis.

 #FUELHigherEd is the next step in building our movement by galvanizing our network of 100+ local and national organizations behind this campaign.

While this web of struggles can seem daunting to untangle, everyone from medical professionals to social workers agree that a person’s basic needs–food and housing–need to be met first for any other intervention to have a lasting impact.

Every state has different sanitation laws around repurposed food and varying eligibility requirements for state and federal assistance such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and every college has its own policies regarding food access on campus including meal plan requirements, dining hall hours, rolling over unused meal swipes, etc. This is why #FUELHigherEd is guided by three principles:

– 1 –
Students themselves need to be at the forefront of determining solutions.

– 2 –
SNAP needs to be expanded and eligibility restrictions for college students lifted. 

– 3 –
States need to fill the gap SNAP doesn’t cover by increasing funding for campus interventions through Hunger Free Campus Legislation.

WHAT IS THE COHORT?

The Cohort is Nazun’s national leadership program. The Cohort trains and empowers students to become leaders that advocate for hunger-free campuses, build and implement campus-wide campaigns to transform their campus’ resources, address food insecurity, and promote social change.

The Cohort Applications are now closed! Come back here later for information about the 2022-2023 Cohort cycle.

Interested in applying for the Cohort or nominating someone to be a part of next year’s Cohort? Emails natalia@nazun.org

UPCOMING ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES

Stay involved with Nazun Advocacy to learn about exciting upcoming opportunities to leverage your voice in support of our mission to end hunger on college campuses!

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LEARN MORE: CAMPUS HUNGER LEGISLATION

Click the button below to learn about the Hunger Free Campus Legislation in states across the country.