ACE and 33 other higher education groups wrote
to Congress yesterday to express strong support for the College Student
Hunger Act of 2019, an effort to remove barriers that prevent
low-income students from accessing benefits under the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren
(D-MA) and Rep. Al Lawson Jr. (D-FL), would expand SNAP eligibility to
students who qualify for Pell Grants and those with an expected family
contribution of $0. For low-income students who meet food eligibility
requirements by working, the bill lowers the threshold from 20 to 10
hours per week. It also amends a current rule that prohibits students
with campus meal plans from receiving SNAP benefits, allowing them
access to the program during the winter and summer months when meal
services may not be available or when they are off campus.
The measure includes important notification
and outreach initiatives to increase student awareness of SNAP
eligibility and to help students apply.
For their part, in recent years colleges and
universities have been working to address the problem through a variety
of programs.
“Hundreds of campuses have established food
pantries and more than 650 campuses are now members of the College and
University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA),” the associations told Warren and
Lawson in their letter. “Some campuses stock basic foods in their
emergency assistance offices while others provide emergency grants to
enable needy students to purchase food. Other campuses allow students to
donate unused meals on their campus meal plan to fellow students
through an anonymous swipe card. These and other campus initiatives to
combat food insecurity are an important part of efforts to enhance
student success and increase completion.”
The bill grew from a Government Accountability Office report
released last December that found that more than 30 percent of college
students may face food insecurity, and nearly 2 million students were
eligible for SNAP but did not receive these benefits. Warren requested
the report after receiving information about the issue from Pam Eddinger, president of Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, and faculty member Wick Sloane, a long-time activist on student hunger.