Student Affairs Administrators: 3 Ways to Combat Food Insecurity on Your Campus

As a college or university student affairs administrator, food insecurity—meaning a lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life—represents one of the greatest challenges your students will face on their path to academic success and personal growth.

As a graduate student in higher education at Northwestern University, I have begun research into the student hunger crisis across the nation. I have identified two articles that you should read to build awareness of this issue and ultimately prepare a response on your own campus. 

In "The Hidden Hunger on College Campuses," Laura McKenna of The Atlantic explains how demographic shifts within higher education are linked to the growing prevalence of food insecurity. More college students are now older, lower-income, raising a family, and attending school while working another job. It is little surprise that these students are facing food shortages as they struggle to make ends meet and pay for the rising price of college. McKenna also presents the results of a path-breaking study conducted by Temple University Professor Sara Goldrick-Rab, which found that more than half of all community-college students struggle with food insecurity.

A look inside the new food pantry at George Washington University. Photo Credit: William Atkins/Courtesy of GWU

Dr. David Steele-Figueredo, President of Woodbury University, offers more sobering statistics about the college hunger epidemic in his article, "Is College Student Food Insecurity Real?" He notes that 4 in 10 University of California students lack a consistent source of high-quality, nutritious food—so even one of the most renowned university systems in the world is not immune to this problem.

Yet there are some promising interventions that can help students receive the food they need to thrive at college. Steele-Figueredo highlights a national student-run organization that began at UCLA called Swipe Out Hunger, which takes the money from students' unused meal plans and converts it into food pantry items and meal vouchers for their food-insecure peers.

After reviewing these two powerful articles and conducting additional research, I have identified three action items to consider as you develop a strategy to support hungry students at your institution:

• Recognize Tell-tale Signs: Students who exhibit learning difficulties, or skip class to work another job, may struggle to receive adequate nutrition and need additional support from the institution (e.g., financial, medical, counseling resources).
  

• Eliminate Red Tape: Work with financial aid professionals at your institution to help food-insecure students apply for assistance from the federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. You should also connect these students with local non-profits or government agencies that provide social services, such as affordable housing options or transportation subsidies.
  

• Mobilize for Change: Encourage passionate students on your campus to start a local chapter of Swipe Out Hunger, or partner with your colleagues to create an on-campus food pantry if your institution does not have one already.

Simply acknowledging that college student hunger most likely affects some of the students you encounter every day won't alleviate the problem. By taking proactive steps to form a network of support with campus partners, external organizations, and concerned students, you can ensure that your institution meets the needs of its most vulnerable population.

About the Author

I am an aspiring student affairs administrator pursuing the M.S. in Higher Education Administration & Policy degree program at Northwestern University. My professional interests are wide-ranging and include: career and academic advising; co-curricular student life and experiential learning; university-community partnerships; civic engagement initiatives; and assessment of student learning outcomes. You can connect with me on Twitter @jeffrey_scholl or through LinkedIn.

Marketing Strategists: 3 tips for building better relationships (because customers are people too)

The best marketing strategy won’t work if no one is listening. You first need an interested and engaged customer base, since that’s the audience for your content. By building stronger customer relationship, you will drive higher results for not just your marketing programs but sales performance too.

As an IMC graduate student, I have learned the importance of creating integrated marketing strategies that put the customer first. Here are two great articles that can help you learn how to treat your customers like humans, not commodities. 

According to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s report “How marketers will win,” marketing visionaries know marketing success in five years will be all about engagement. Marketing veteran Jim Stengel recommends you measure customer relationships like anyone else: get them to look forward to hearing from you. You’ll both benefit from a relationship built on human connection and trust.

Cultivating this type of customer relationship isn’t a new concept; it’s always been a part of sales. But creating and maintaining that value, respect, and connection is part of relationship marketing too. In the Huffington Post article “Relationship Marketing 1-2-3: Why Building Relationships Matters Most” R. Kay Green points out the key to building customer relationships is all about “providing value on a consistent, ongoing basis.” Just like a personal relationship, this takes time, commitment, and communication.

Now that you’re hooked on the value of building better customer relationships, here are 3 tips to help you get started:

• Engagement = Loyalty. Renewal, retention, and repeat purchases are all measurable marketing goals that drive better engagement, resulting in higher sales.

• Stop shouting. Your customers have a lot to say, so stop telling them what you want them to know and start listening to them through surveys, support logs and across social channels.

• Be human. All the right technology and tracking is useless unless you engage your customers in a human way through storytelling, honesty, and transparency.

Customer loyalty is all about human connection so treat your customer relationships like all other people in your life: engage, listen, and converse in a two-way dialogue.

Dana Huston I @dlhNU2015

Dana is a Master of Science candidate in Integrated Marketing Communication at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She is a senior marketing professional with experience in innovative marketing strategy, analytics, and automation solutions.

Agency Hiring Managers: 3 Ways to Make Sure you’re Hiring the Most Skilled Social Media Minds

A potential employee with a litany of certifications is a double edged sword- they may have a plethora of skills, or they may be trying to take you for a ride. As a senior at Northwestern University in the Integrated Marketing Communication Certificate currently pursuing a job in the digital media industry I have found two crucial articles that will give you the tools to make these difficult evaluations.

Though it was written in 2013, Jason Schmitt's article "Job Cred: Social Media Certification Revs the Resume" from the Huffington Post is a superb article that gives an overview of both free and for-pay programs that offer social media certifications. While some of the specific program references are a touch outdated, their analysis focuses mostly on the brands. For example, the article notes the importance of the then new HootSuite University and the growing importance of the SalesForce Marketing Cloud, both of which have only grown in importance since the article’s publication.

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Online Income Teacher takes a slightly different approach in its article, "Social Media Certification- Is it Worth Your Time?" However, the article works in concert with the first by providing a much more practical overview of the costs and benefits of online social media programs. While this article does mention a few specific programs (including HootSuite as well) it is much more concerned with giving you, the reader, the tools to evaluate the types of benefits that come from each style of programs. 

After synthesizing these articles with my professional and educational experience I have 3 actions I strongly recommend you undertake before making another hire:   

1) Identify your Needs: The SalesForce program will create a much more business-oriented employee than HootSuite. One is not better than the other- context is what is important. 

2) Evaluate Commitment: Not all programs are created equal. While some may be free and easy, others may require more time and even a little money from your savings. Understanding this is a great way to evaluate how passionate and committed and employee is about their career in social media.

3) Stay Current: New programs and trends are the only constant in social media. Staying up to date on these programs, and continually evaluating them, is key if a company wishes to stay current.

Social media skills are only growing in importance as more and more consumers looked to social media for recommendations, to air grievances, and to connect with like-minded individuals. Learning how this channel of communication can be best utilized is crucial for anyone in digital marketing industry and choosing the candidate with the right qualifications is vital when assembling a cutting edge social media team. This article is designed to give employers a taste of what programs are out there and how to evaluate these programs. However, but it is ultimately up to you to decide what suits your company’s needs best.     

Jack Doherty is a Northwestern University Undergraduate student majoring in Political Science with minors in Business and Marketing currently seeking employment in the digital marketing industry following his June Graduation date. Always open to new ideas, discussion and debate he can be reached through Twitter at @dohertyjohn617 or on his LinkedIn profile.