Student wellness is a critical focus on college campuses. With increasing rates of housing and food insecurity, safety issues and academic stress, many institutions are seeking out solutions to better support their community of learners. These challenges can feel insurmountable, but colleges and universities have options to help bolster their existing wellness resources.

Meeting students’ basic needs

Recent datahighlights the severe lack of access to basic needs among college students – 23% of undergraduates and 12% of graduate students experience food insecurity, while 8% of undergraduate students and 5% of graduate students experience homelessness. This translates to roughly 4 million students with food insecurity and 1.5 million students without a home. The data also reveals disparities among specific groups, including HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), TCUs (Tribal Colleges and Universities) MSIs (Minority-Serving Institutions) and various demographic categories such as race, ethnicity, gender, parenting status, Pell Grant recipients and disability status.

Housing

• The National League of Cities reports several colleges collaborate with local housing authorities and private housing options to provide learners with housing vouchers. These initiatives have been linked to a reduction in food insecurity, mental health concerns and medical issues.
• Some universities lease unused land to developers to address immediate and long-term housing shortages.
• Other recommendations include securing funding through institutional or philanthropic means.

Food insecurity

• Schools are implementing food pantries with non-perishable food, and some even offer clothing and hygiene products. The University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana partners with community gardens and master gardeners to provide fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.
• Expanding SNAP benefits for use on campuses and creating a basic needs hub to check in on health and housing needs are recommended solutions, as noted by Arizona State University.

Supporting students’ mental and emotional wellbeing

As students face housing and food difficulties, it can also impact their mental and emotional wellbeing. Making sure students have adequate resources to navigate and overcome these challenges is another important piece of the puzzle.

Giving up the grind mentality

• The tradition of all-nighters and long study sessions is often a detriment to learners’ mental and physical health. Institutions and professionals should prioritize learners’ well-being over excessive workloads. Working with faculty and staff to ensure manageable student workloads and a student/life balance can enhance their ability to retain and recall information while providing necessary rest and socialization.
• Meaningful and purposeful assignments with relevant applications can better a student’s education. If students are not benefitting from their assignments due to the requirements of the assignment, that could be an indicator of how successful an assignment is in furthering a learner’s education.

Offer choices for assignments and assessments that allows students to use their preferred learning style. This results in better retention of the material and less anxiety over performance.

Rendering relevance resources

As colleges and universities embrace online wellness platforms, it is crucial to provide resources relevant to students’ intersecting identities. An array of services, resources, educational materials and opportunities can help students navigate the stressors of school, work and life.

Off-campus services

• Many third-party wellness and mental health providers, such as TimelyCare, are available to students, faculty and staff. TimelyCare offers one-to-one counseling sessions with a clinician of their choosing; peer-support networks; access to self-care resources like yoga, meditation and healthy eating. Some organizations also provide access to online primary medical care.
• Colleges and universities often partner with community providers such as mental health centers, doctor’s offices and fitness centers to encourage student wellness both on and off campus.

On-campus services

• Access to services should be as easy as possible. Schools such as Pittsburgh Technical College use a QR code on the back of the learners’ ID cards that allows them to make appointments with their wellness center or learn about more resources.
• Schools in Illinois that issue ID cards to students grades 6-12 must provide contact information for various mental health/crisis hotlines.
• Ensure your staff is diverse and inclusive with cultural humility so students feel more comfortable seeking out services.
• When advertising, provide relevant information, including locations, the types of services offered and links to resources for those interested but not yet entirely comfortable with seeking services.

As colleges and universities work to address student wellness issues, it is important to focus on what can be done rather than what feels insurmountable. Supporting students’ needs of housing, food, wellness and success can significantly impact on the prevalence of these issues in the future.

Is your school offering a unique service or opportunity that impacts students’ wellness? Contact us to share your success stories at icctac@siumed.edu.