2018 MNSU Food Insecurity Study

In 2017, I joined with Dr. Carol Glasser to conduct the first campus-wide study assessing food and housing insecurity among the Minnesota State University, Mankato undergraduate student population utilizing the 10 item USDA 2012 HFSSM. 2,100 randomly selected students were invited to participate in the online survey via email, with 260 (12.4% response rate) completing it. A further twelve respondents were selected to participate in semi-structured interviews where they shared their experiences with food insecurity and homelessness while attending college.

Among the key-findings were that 64% of survey respondents encountered some level of food insecurity, with 22% encountering the most extreme form of food insecurity in which they were actively skipping meals and reducing their food intake because they could not afford to eat.  Students who identified as Black, African-American, and Asian-American were significantly more likely to encounter issues of food access. Students who experienced very high levels of food insecurity (22%) were also much more likely than their peers to say they have had to choose between paying for school materials, buying food, or paying for housing expenses, reflecting the impact that competing financial obligations have on healthy eating habits and academic performance. As coping mechanisms, students encountering food insecurity reported drinking more water to ease hunger pains and to "feel more full", sleeping or napping through hunger, and actively seeking out and attending campus events where food would be provided. Students reported negative stigma as a factor in determining whether or not to use on-campus and community resources to address their basic needs, as many did not want to be seen as needy or feeling judged for seeking help.

The findings were presented in a 2018 report to the University President and the Executive Leadership Board.  In 2020, students citing our study founded the Maverick pantry through donations from the campus and local community & funding from the student government.

Read the full report below.