New report sheds sobering light on hunger on college campuses
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A new report sheds a sobering light on hunger on college campuses.
It finds that 35 percent of students at Temple University have gone hungry in the past year and 56 percent at the Community College of Philadelphia say they have found themselves going without a proper meal.
The study leader says it's a serious, often unrecognized problem.
There's always been some hunger on campuses, but it's growing in part due to rising costs.
Tuition is only part - fees, books, housing, and transportation add to the burden - even for those starting with student aid.
"As they start trying to pay for college and they spend a year or two paying that tuition, paying those expenses, then they find that their savings dry up," said Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab from Temple University.
Dr. Goldrick-Rab says students try to keep going, but fall into poverty and need help from the handful of school food pantries.
She says it's happening everywhere, even at wealthier private schools, although many times it's under-reported.
"We've been asking private colleges for years to take these surveys, and all but 5 of them in the entire country have said no," she said.
Believe it or not, homelessness is also a problem on some campuses.
Dr. Goldrick-Rab's team has established the Hope Center at Temple to find solutions to these problems.
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