Beyond the Food Pantry: Spreading the Word – Supporting Students’ Basic Needs with a Syllabus Statement

The persistent underutilization of campus support services is a challenge facing institutions wishing to support students’ basic needs. Campus food pantries and emergency aid programs, for example, tend to serve only a small fraction of food-insecure students on campus. While this can partly be attributed to stigma, it is also due to a lack of awareness. Sharing information about supports for students’ basic needs on course syllabi is an inexpensive, efficient, and effective way to raise awareness among both students and faculty.