Teranejah Lucas is a Master’s of Social Work Graduate Student at Seattle University. The following op-ed was written March 4, 2024.
Food insecurity is a crisis that is prevailing across college campuses today. According to the National Institute of Health, 40% of college students experience food insecurity. However, Seattle University does not allow students to roll over more than 250 dollars worth of dining cash. And from the end of spring quarter to the beginning of fall quarter no dining cash is rolled over. This practice is unjust and nonsensical as Freshman and Sophomores are required to purchase dining plans. The cheapest dining plan is currently 1,849 dollars which is steep considering many of these students rely on their parents solely to purchase these dining plans. For those who have no immediate kin to help, the cost is just another barrier. The food in the cafeteria is also very expensive. A single sandwich costs around 10 dollars. When you’re not only forced to live on campus but purchase dining dollars where you have to share a small kitchen with several other students, cooking may not be one’s first choice; so affordable food on campus would make a significant impact.
According to the food insecurity initiatives on campus, there is an abundance of students who are utilizing the Redhawk Dining card program to have access to food while on campus. Also one of the many different reasons students inquire about the emergency fund is related to food insecurity. Consequently an overlap of students also use the Seattle University food pantry consistently. I have been fortunate enough to utilize the Redhawk Dining card program, and while I am grateful for the program, I know first hand the money doesn’t go far. I was given a 200-dollar dining card that lasted me a little over three weeks and I am only on campus two days a week, unlike the students required to live on campus. Seattle University foots the bill for all of these programs, so the logical thing to do would be to allow those who have remaining dining bucks to roll them over. Otherwise the university is just charging students for meal plans to end up supplying them food in the future.
“We put the good of students first” is a value listed on Seattle University’s website. Encouraging students to donate their dining cash when several students at the university are struggling with food insecurity shows Seattle University is not upholding their own values. Putting the good of students first means limiting barriers to experiencing food insecurity. Many studies have shown that students who experience food insecurity have lower odds of graduating. Low graduation rates insinuate that a college is not of quality and does not have care for their students.
Allowing dining dollars to roll over is a small but important step toward combating food insecurity on campus. The solution to the ongoing problem of food insecurity will be long term, and it will require huge commitment from the university itself and its partners. Rolling over dining dollars demonstrates an understanding of the evidence in combating food insecurity at Seattle University. This also allows the university to value the whole student and the sacrifices they make to attend the university.
