OPINION

Luis G. Pedraja: Basic life needs must be met to attain collegiate success

Dr. Luis G. Pedraja
QCC President Luis G. Pedraja, Ph.D., was a regular HomePlate Food Pantry volunteer and helped to distribute food to students in a contact-free way each week during the pandemic.

I have been vocal about my belief that higher education is a right for all and not a privilege for a few, yet there are barriers many students confront in their lives that preclude them from obtaining an education. The COVID-19 pandemic has grossly exacerbated the issues of hunger, homelessness, childcare, mental health and transportation – the five basic needs college students and society as a whole face.

Hunger on our college campuses continues to be the number one basic need that is not being met. At QCC, and across all campuses in the country, there is a hunger crisis. Prior to the pandemic, a 2018 study by the Wisconsin Hope Lab found that 49% of QCC students went hungry on a regular basic and 11% were homeless. While these percentages are shocking, we know the pandemic has grossly compounded these figures.

Earlier this year, I shared testimony on these issues with Congressman James McGovern, chair of the House Rules Committee. Congressman McGovern is leading the charge in advocating and drafting meaningful legislation for hunger-free campuses.

In my testimony, I shared ways in which we have worked on addressing and trying to mitigate hunger on our campus, by opening the QCC HomePlate Food Pantry and Resource Center in 2018. This student resource has become invaluable to many who struggle with food insecurity.

When the pandemic forced us to temporarily move the College to a remote format, we kept the food pantry open by transitioning to an outside contactless operation. It became a lifeline for students and their families during the pandemic. Thanks to the tremendous partnership with the Worcester County Food Bank that supplied most of the food, together with generous donations from foundations, corporations, alumni and other individuals, our team of college employees and volunteers served close to 50 students per week.

The majority of these students had four or more family members who were depending on the College’s support for food and other supplies such as hygiene products, diapers, baby formula, masks and hand sanitizer. The gratitude from our students was overwhelming, and we knew we were making a difference in their lives.

Today, the HomePlate Food Pantry and Resource Center has moved back indoors to a new location that offers a larger footprint due to funding from community partners, The United Way of Central Massachusetts and The Greater Worcester Community Foundation. Their generosity enabled us to make extensive upgrades and renovations to the Center that will help increase capacity and efficiency.

The United Way of Central Massachusetts donated funds for an electronic software system, “SmartChoice,” as well as food and related supplies. Through this electronic food pantry software, students can select prepackaged baskets of food in a safe, contact-free way. The Greater Worcester Community Foundation awarded QCC a Worcester County Food Bank Fund to End Hunger Grant that was used to purchase an industrial freezer, refrigerator and shelving. Through these community partnerships, we will be able to increase our services to students exponentially.

Homelessness is another chronic and basic need that we are working tirelessly to eradicate. A collaborative partnership with Worcester State University (WSU) and Luk, a not-for-profit social service agency dedicated to improving the lives of youth and their families, is helping address the issue of student homelessness.

Three QCC students are currently in a QCC/WSU housing pilot program, with an additional student on a waiting list. This innovative program enables these students to live in one of WSU’s Resident Halls, with QCC paying for their meal plans. The students have weekly or bi-weekly meetings with a case manager at Luk, who coordinates services such as food vouchers during the summer, bedding for their residence hall rooms, and in some cases a laptop. LUK also ensures these students have housing when they graduate or complete their academic goals. 

There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child, but I say it takes a community to help a community college student. These community partnerships are making the difference in the lives of our students and by extension, their families and our society. 

We know that hunger and homelessness have a detrimental impact on the critical thinking process, but we also know that mental health issues, a lack of childcare, and inadequate or non-existent transportation are factors that also impede a student from realizing a better life through education.

Historically the under-served are the hardest hit in these five areas of basic needs and the pandemic has magnified this systemic problem. Equity gaps are widening, and as more lower income and students of color are being forced to leave higher education to address their basic life needs, we are all suffering the loss.

We must address the needs of students head-on and not shy away when it becomes too difficult or uncomfortable. I have told our college community that we will not rest until we realize 100% student success, but to make this a reality we cannot ignore our students’ needs. We must be visionaries and we must lead by example.

Collectively we need to address the five basic needs college students face, work together to find solutions, and forge community partnerships that will benefit not just our students, but also each and every one of us.

Luis G. Pedraja, Ph.D., is president of Quinsigamond Community College.