Back to School, Back to Hunger?

In a study published in April, from The Hope Center, the stats on food insecurity among college students were grim. Almost half of students in two-year colleges and about 2 out of 5 at four-year colleges experience some level of food insecurity. Hungry kids are not just an issue of grade and secondary schools.
I became aware of this issue when we gathered emergency food providers, networkers and advocates in the wake of the October 2017 fires here. I had no idea that Santa Rosa Junior College had a food pantry for students. Around the same time, a woman I chatted with at an activist event in Courthouse Square reported that members of the football team at the JC did not have an adequate diet. Scholastic and athletic performance are impaired when there isn't adequate nutritious food.
Some students may not be aware that they are eligible for SNAP - called CalFresh here.
Last month Senator Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Representative Lawson, Democrat of Florida, introduced legislation which could help, the College Student Hunger Act.
The Government Accounting Office has also been studying food insecurity on campus. While their estimate of the severity of the problem is lower - around 30% of students at risk - they found that "almost 2 million at-risk students who are potentially eligible for SNAP did not receive benefits in 2016."
The act expands the criteria of eligibility for SNAP for students, provides for education and outreach about SNAP on campuses, and calls for pilot projects to make SNAP more useful in student dining halls and the like. 
Senator Warren's press release provides the information and links you need to learn more if you wish to advocate for this bill with your senators or congress-members. If they have signed on as co-sponsors - many have - be sure to thank them. 
https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-warren-and-representative-lawson-introduce-the-college-student-hunger-act-of-2019-to-address-hunger-on-college-campuses
And one more note. This is also a problem on elite campuses for students from low income families. When colleges pause for spring vacation, for example, dining halls close. If you can't afford to travel home and don't have a source of ready cash, even a full tuition, room and board scholarship doesn't result in a full belly.

Hungry students

Sure, college students are always hungry and haven't always had the best diets. But even with all that's wrong in the world, it was this story that made me weep this morning:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-uc-irvine-food-pantry-20170927-story.html

Four out of ten University of California students do not have a consistently available source of adequate nutrition. UC Irvine is leading the way with a new state of the art food pantry on campus. But what is wrong with our priorities that this is necessary? I weep especially for first generation college students who have struggled to be there, but must continue to struggle with high tuitions and high housing costs on or near campuses, leaving nothing to eat on now and big debt later.

Let's get on with it and make tuition at public universities free. And let's make full meal plans available to students from low income families. If we can afford lavish expenses for federal officials and and increased military budget, surely we can afford to educate and feed our young people.