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He appeared to many to be the typical college student. A promising work-study student, for much of his college time he had solid grades and maintained a GPA well above the requirement of his academic scholarships. However, there had been a noticeable change in his attendance over a few recent weeks and his academic performance had started to slip. His grades took a plunge downward, and his GPA declined as a result, which jeopardized his academic scholarships.
As many of our faculty and staff do, they build relationships with our students and make lifelong connections. This particular day, it was an administrative assistant in the office where he did his work-study assignment who noticed something was not quite right with the student.
When the administrative assistant sat down with him to inquire about what was happening, she received a shocking story. The student had lost his mother a few years ago, and his father had died several years prior, essentially this student was alone with no family. Although determined to stay in college, the impact of his loss had taken its toll. He was, aside from his dorm room, homeless, and without financial support.
Emotionally devastated, he was living in his car during school breaks, trying to make ends meet with low-wage jobs. His health was suffering because his mother’s death also ended his health insurance coverage. He was quiet, broken, alone, and hurting. If it had not been for the care and concern shown by a staff member dedicated to the tent of our mission of providing a nurturing holistic learning environment, this student may have never received the assistance needed to overcome his challenges or break down barriers he was facing.
This story and so many others are the stories of our student scholars that have circumstances that cause them to be hidden within our campuses. Homelessness among college students is a growing challenge, affecting thousands of students across the United States. Nearly 10 percent of undergraduates experience homelessness.
Many students struggle with housing insecurity due to rising tuition costs, limited financial aid, and high living expenses. In 2023, a study by the National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education found that nearly a quarter (23 percent) of undergraduate students on college campuses face food insecurity. That’s more than 4 million students across the nation. For our communities. Students struggling with poverty are more than twice as likely to drop out of school and 65 percent more likely to struggle with mental health issues and contemplations of suicide. The mental health issues can have a snowball effect, leading to physical health issues, higher dropout rates and homelessness.
Too often, it seems, we find ourselves wrapped up in the things that are swirling around us, like the recent freeze on federal aid that was placed on federal funding by the new administration in Washington D.C. Now, don’t get me wrong, we must pay attention to all that is taking place which may negatively impact our institution, but as we fight those battles remembering those that are hidden on are campuses. Our commitment to the work and purpose of higher education should be fueled constantly by those that hide among us. They should be a constant reminder of why we do this work.
While we are accustomed to the daily normalcy of university life and promoting stories of successes and bright futures that maintain the positive image and reputations of our institutions, we often forget that hiding among those smiling faces and brochure cover expectations are students enduring and surviving some of life’s worst obstacles. Unfortunately, homeless students are more likely to struggle academically due to stress, lack of sleep, and difficulty accessing resources, as many eventually drop out, and we never know the cause because these students often experience mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression.
The causes behind these problems are as diverse as the student body itself. But these are topics rarely discussed among political leaders, and these are problems rarely addressed in budgetary debate. Our institution houses many students who are left suffering in silence. In many instances, the refuge we provide within the hallowed walls of our institutions is their only hope and safe-place.
While these issues are not caused by universities, we must resolve to be the catalyst that changes them. It must start with simply remembering why we are in our positions and what our mission is – being more aware, learning to spot the signs, being brave enough to start the conversations and ask the right questions and being caring enough to chart a path forward.
Although many of our institutions lack the means to fully assist with these issues, we must continuously work to find the resources to assist. While these issues occur on campuses all over the nation, the availability of resources hits different on our campuses.
In addition, despite the frustrations of the moment and things that might draw our attention at a national level, we must continue to advocate for our students and for our universities.
That is not DEI, that’s HSIN: Helping Students In Need!
In the case of the young man on our campus, I am happy to report that through the work of our staff and the use of resources that Alabama State University has in place to aid students, and along with his incredible work ethic and determination, he is back on track. His GPA is back in the safe range. His living situation has been secured. And his future is bright.
It gives me great pause to consider what might have been had we not discovered his plight in time to make these changes. It keeps me up at night thinking of the students who haven’t been so lucky – both on our campus and across the country. We must fight even harder to educate people and remind them about our true reasons for existing. We simply do not know the stories of those hiding among us … until we ask.
