According to the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice which is run out of Temple University, 34% of college students in a Fall 2020 survey reported facing food insecurity within the past 30 days.
In order to address this issue at Colorado Mesa University (CMU), many Mavericks have risen to the challenge, one being Vice President (VP) of Student Services, Jody Diers.
“I’ve been in education for over 30 years and I know that in order to sit and do your math, you need to have a full belly, you need to have nourishment,” Diers said. “It’s a safety thing. You need to cover the safety issues and your health issues before you can sit down and really think.”
In order to properly address this issue, however, the collaborative effort of Associated Student Government (ASG) VP Salina Edwards, Budget Director and Director of Food Service Programs, Whitney Sutton and many more Mavs were needed. In their collaborative effort, the Swipe Out Hunger program has been brought to CMU.
“When I was [an ASG] Senator, a fellow Senator and I were really concerned with food insecurity on campus […] and we came across Swipe Out Hunger,” Edwards said. “Then we started reaching out to Whitney Sutton, who at the same time was considering a program similar to that, so we started working with her and the Swipe Out Hunger organization to see how we could bring that to CMU. Fortunately, we were able to do that this fall.”
The Swipe Out Hunger program is much different from typical programs fighting food insecurity, as it is specifically tailored for CMU students who want to eat on campus.
“[Meals are accepted] at the Caf and if the Caf is closed, then they can get a meal at Flat Top Grill because [they have] extended hours,” Sutton said. “Since it’s on the MAVcard, it’s seamless, they don’t know if they’ve purchased a meal plan or a commuter plan.”
Though the implementation of this program is a huge step for CMU, the future only means more progress as Diers continues to search for more ways to help the student body.
“Next week, we have a resource meeting, and we’ve invited about 15 resources from off-campus to meet with probably 15 resources from on-campus so we all can look each other in the eye and say, ‘What are we doing for our students? What can we do differently?’” Diers said.
Food insecurity may be a substantial problem within the college population, yet many CMU students are continuing to fight this issue by providing as many resources as possible.
If students are struggling with food insecurity, there is a variety of resources within Lowell Heiny Hall where you can ask Student Services or Integrated Resources for Information and Solutions (IRIS) for further assistance.
