Navigating Emergency Swipes and Support Systems at UCLA and Beyond

College life presents numerous challenges, from academic pressures to financial constraints. For some students, these challenges can lead to food insecurity and even homelessness. This article explores initiatives like "emergency swipes" programs, designed to combat food insecurity on college campuses, and broader support systems aimed at assisting students facing hardship. It also addresses the concerns and experiences of Jewish students on college campuses amid rising antisemitism.

Addressing Food Insecurity with Emergency Swipes

Food insecurity is a significant issue affecting college students nationwide. At UCLA, innovative solutions have emerged to tackle this problem. One such solution is the concept of "emergency swipes," which allows students with surplus meal swipes to donate them to students in need.

The UCLA Swipes for the Homeless Initiative

Swipes for the Homeless, founded by UCLA student Pezeshki, exemplifies a student-led effort to address food insecurity. This program collects leftover meal-card swipes from UCLA students and collaborates with UCLA Dining Services to distribute food to the needy. Pezeshki's initiative gained national recognition, even earning praise from the White House. The program demonstrates the potential for students to directly impact their community and alleviate food insecurity among their peers.

Data-Driven Insights into Swipe Usage

Kharkar's analysis of dining hall swipe data provides valuable insights into student eating habits and potential food insecurity. His research indicates that students tend to sell swipes at an increased rate for less money toward the end of each academic quarter, right before their meal plans reset. This suggests that some students may be running out of meal swipes before the end of the quarter and resorting to selling them for financial reasons.

Understanding Meal Plan Dynamics

UCLA Dining Services determines meal plan rates with a thorough and effective budgeting process that balances maximizing revenue with minimizing student costs. However, Kharkar believes that UCLA Housing and Hospitality Services loses some revenue from the swipes black market that could be recovered.

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The Fall Harvest Feast: A Community Thanksgiving

The Fall Harvest Feast, created by Pezeshki, is another example of a program designed to address food needs within the UCLA community. This event provides a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to students, community members, and their families. The feast is supported by various organizations, including the UCLA Volunteer Center, the Bruin Resource Center, and Swipes for the Homeless.

Expanding Support Systems for Students in Need

Beyond emergency swipes programs, colleges and universities are implementing a range of support systems to assist students facing hardships, including homelessness, hunger, and lack of access to textbooks.

Identifying and Reaching Out to Students Experiencing Homelessness

Identifying students who are homeless is difficult for many reasons. Students might be unaware of the definition of homelessness and not realize that they are experiencing homelessness. Others may feel ashamed, embarrassed, or afraid of the consequences of disclosing their situation. Being able to identify and track students experiencing homelessness provides institutions with a more accurate understanding of the prevalence of homelessness among the student body and the kinds of support that these students may need. Some strategies that colleges and university systems have implemented to identify and provide outreach to students experiencing homelessness include:

Including a question on admission or registration materials asking whether the applicant has experienced unaccompanied homelessness or been in foster care, with an explanation that financial and support services may be available.

Housing Support

Stable housing is a critical support for homeless youth to be successful in their pursuit of higher education, but housing options on college campuses vary between institutions. Some schools may have live-in requirements, while other schools, typically community colleges, offer little to no housing at all. Federal housing programs provide minimal support due to restrictions for college students and shortages in subsidized housing. Student housing can offer some reprieve; however, it is not necessarily less expensive than off-campus options. Colleges around the country have been addressing these housing needs through their Residential Life and Housing offices and by partnering with community agencies.

Create a multi-disciplinary homeless task force on campus to help facilitate referrals between staff on campus and streamline service coordination.

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Creating and disseminating a list of local resources, including campus, nonprofit, and government resources.
Allowing students to sleep in their vehicles at a secure on-campus parking structure overnight.
Tapping into local alumni and consider host home options.
Incentivizing students to live off-campus in privately owned housing to increase on-campus housing capacity for students in need.

Some states have laws that provide priority housing to youth experiencing homelessness and those who have been in foster care. In addition to priority housing, in some states, higher education homeless liaisons work with students to provide housing over break periods.

Financial Aid and the FAFSA

Many college students experience hardships resulting in homelessness, hunger, an inability to afford textbooks, and other challenges that make it difficult for them to graduate. Unfortunately, many students who could benefit from financial aid do not complete the FAFSA. Unaccompanied homeless youth are considered independent for the FAFSA, relieving them of the need to provide their parents’ financial information or signature. However, these students must obtain a determination that they were homeless on their own during the school year in which they are submitting the application. There are designated authorized entities that can provide a determination and if a student cannot obtain verification from those parties, a college financial aid administrator must make this determination for the student.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

To continue receiving financial aid, students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements each year. SAP requirements vary from campus to campus. Generally, they include earning a specified minimum GPA, passing a certain percentage of classes attempted, and making timely progress towards degree completion. Students who do not meet their institution’s SAP requirements during their annual evaluation become ineligible for financial aid, unless they successfully appeal and are placed on probation. For students who depend on financial aid to help cover their college costs and/or living expenses, the sudden loss of income can cause financial challenges and put them at risk of experiencing homelessness.

Comprehensive Support Programs

In recognition of the barriers faced by homeless students, institutions of higher education are beginning to create support programs for homeless students on campus. These programs vary by institution and may also serve other or overlapping vulnerable student populations, including students from foster care, undocumented students, or other low-income, first-generation students. Some of the most robust campus-based programs are comprised of multi-sector partnerships to help students thrive in college and beyond.

Case Management: Some programs provide case managers to assess individual needs and provide tailored assistance.
Emergency Housing: Some campus-based programs offer temporary and/or emergency housing.
Food Pantries: Food pantries or basic needs offices address food insecurity on many college campuses and typically run on donations from the campus community or outside organizations.
Emergency Aid Programs: Some institutions offer emergency aid programs that provide short-term financial assistance to students who are in crisis.
Academic Advising: Academic advisors can help students navigate this system and offer career advice.
Financial Aid Assistance: The most successful campus support programs have strong partnerships with the financial aid office to remind students of deadlines, work with them individually to fill out the FAFSA, and if applicable, help them receive independent student status as an unaccompanied homeless youth, foster youth, or other category of independent student.
Mental Health Services: Ensure students experiencing homelessness have access to mental health services on-campus.

Addressing Antisemitism on College Campuses

The experiences of Jewish students on college campuses have become a growing concern, particularly in light of rising antisemitism.

The Experiences of Jewish Students

Jewish students have reported experiencing a range of challenges, including:

Nasty looks for wearing Jewish symbols.
Verbal harassment.
Feeling unsafe and targeted.
Exclusion from certain campus spaces.
Harassment from fellow students.
Fear, isolation, rising antisemitism.

Student Responses and Initiatives

Despite these challenges, Jewish students are actively working to combat antisemitism and create a more inclusive campus environment. Some initiatives include:

Starting Students Supporting Israel (SSI) chapters to counter anti-Israel groups.
Organizing events to promote peace and coexistence.
Working with Hillel, Chabad, and other Jewish organizations to provide support and a sense of community.
Speaking out against antisemitism and advocating for their rights.

The Importance of Allyship

Many students expressed the importance of allyship from non-Jewish peers, faculty, and university administrators. They hope that more people will find the courage to support their Jewish peers and that universities and lawmakers will finally hear their voices.

Supporting Parenting Students

Parenting students, and specifically homeless parenting students, are a reality on college campuses. Higher education provides the surest way out of poverty and homelessness and can help break generational cycles of poverty. Some colleges and universities respond to student parents by providing them with resources and services to help alleviate the financial burden of child care and housing and to meet other unique needs. However, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that colleges can do more to help parenting students with child care, including publicizing dependent care allowances to parenting students. Many institutions have lactation rooms and diaper changing stations scattered throughout campus. Some parenting students might be required to have a meal plan, which can be a problem if the children are not included in the plan.

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