With a historical number of 9,008 freshmen students at the University, housing and dining concerns are a widespread discussion on campus.

During the Service Employees International Union Local 73 strike starting Sept. 23, an influx of complaints about closing food counters and congestion in dining halls placed emotional pressure on students.

However, food issues are not novel for the University. According to a currently unpublished survey by Toni Gist, assistant professor in ACES, 24% of surveyed students reported experiencing food insecurity this semester. Students involved in this survey come from two introduction-level food science and human nutrition courses taught by Gist. 

“If you look around and you have yourself and three other people in a group project, chances are one of you is food or nutrition insecure,” Gist said.

According to the World Health Organization, food insecurity is defined as people lacking regular access to healthy, timely and sufficient food for their physical and cultural needs. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations measures food insecurity on a scale from mild to severe. Many people who may not be technically hungry or suffering from severe physical discomfort can still be in food insecurity situations, according to FAO.

The ratio of undergraduate students experiencing food insecurity parallels the national data reported by the federal government in 2023: 23% of undergraduates and 12% of graduate students are food insecure. The report highlights multiple disparities among food-insecure students across different races, genders and academic standings. 

African American and Hispanic students have higher food insecurity rates compared to white and Asian students. Female and genderqueer students also had higher levels of food insecurity. 

Saima Hasnin, assistant professor in ACES, said the increased challenge for students from marginalized immigrant backgrounds to maintain food security comes from their need for acculturation to American society.

According to Hasnin, over 70% of Chinese students experience weight gain during college; immigrants from Central America and the Indian subcontinent face the highest prevalence of obesity among other immigrants.

According to her survey this semester, Gist said first-generation students are more likely to suffer from food insecurity and have less access to nutritional food.

“There are also individuals who struggled with food insecurity before coming to college a lot of times, and this is not something necessarily new to them to be nutrition or food insecure,” Gist said.

As the only instructor of FSHN 120: Contemporary Nutrition, Gist teaches both in-person and online lectures to approximately 800 students each semester. To encourage interactive communication, she offers extra credit opportunities through various support initiatives.

“We’ve created college-friendly recipes on a budget (for) each chapter,” Gist said. “Each of those recipes is less than two or three dollars per serving.”

Gist and her teaching assistants created a tutoring center to provide both academic advice and help with nutrition security. They hand out free food in class and encourage students to donate to the pantry, paying off those efforts with extra credit.

According to Gist, education on food insecurity is about clearing up the situation and creating space for giving help.

“It just becomes a part of our everyday conversation that people need food to live,” Gist said.

Jeanine Bensken, health educator at McKinley Health Center and president of the Healthy Champaign County board, said students must understand food insecurity issues from a community perspective.

“It’s not just food security or insecurity, it’s our environmental sustainability,” Bensken said.

Bensken said even people well-prepared for their meals or less concerned with their financial ability can also be trapped into food insecure situations due to time, tools and transportation limits.

“There’s all sorts of folks around the Champaign-Urbana area that are focused on the food environment from many different angles,” Bensken said.

Access to healthy food is not only about meeting physical needs but also plays as a foundation for thriving academically and in life. The University and C-U community provide multiple resources for students to access healthy food.

The Food Assistance and Well-being Program at the University opened a new program designed to provide a private and safe environment for helping students. Registered University students can pick up a selection of nonperishable food from 4-6 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday in assigned lockers.

According to Rachel Yang, assistant director of food security, the pick-up time can extend to 24 hours after drop-off. Yang said they are also collaborating with local grocery stores to assist in the supply of the program’s new reforms.

Illinois Extension offers a plug-in search function, Find Food IL, to help locate communities providing free food across Illinois. By entering a zip code, users can easily get a map of where to find free food or meals.

Additional on-campus and local resources can be accessed through the University’s resource website.  

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