Students should take UConn’s food insecurity survey to help inform the administration of how big a problem it is on campus. Photo by Pixabay via Pexels
From Oct. 23 until Nov. 6, the University of Connecticut is encouraging students to take part in a survey that gauges food insecurity among students. The survey aims to gather a representative sample of students across campus regarding their access to food. The survey was launched after students Wanjiku Gatheru and Abhishek Gupta co-founded the UConn Access to Food Effort (UCAFE), which is an organization that helps address food insecurity on campus.
Food insecurity is essentially a measure of the availability of food for people. In this case, UConn’s survey is working to determine whether or not students have proper access to food, as well as the quality of this food. Certain questions ask students if the food that they have access to is nutritious, if they have the utilities and time to prepare their meals, as well as if they have enough money to buy food.
It is important for students to participate in this survey so that UConn can get a proper, representative sample of students’ responses. With these answers, UConn, as well as the state of Connecticut in general, will have better knowledge regarding students’ access to food, and if needed, they can determine ways to improve accessibility. Some ways to do this would be decreasing the price of food or providing food pantries on or near campus.
Many students on campus have trouble getting enough nutritious food. If students answer the survey, these circumstances can be improved.
The survey is anonymous and relatively quick as there are only a few questions. For any student that participates they can enter their email for a chance to win an Amazon gift card. However, if students wish to maintain anonymity, it is not a requirement for them to enter this raffle.
Food insecurity is an issue that affects everyone, and it is an especially pertinent topic for college students. Students should take the time to answer the survey so that UConn will have this information in order to benefit students in the future.