University officials are encouraging students at all Penn State campuses to complete the recently released Food and Housing Needs Survey, whether or not they have had trouble meeting basic needs. Survey results will help the University learn more about the prevalence of these issues at each Penn State campus, including World Campus.
Adam Christensen is the director of Student Affairs Research and Assessment. He hopes the survey will provide much-needed information about food insecurity at the university as a whole.
“The purpose of doing this survey institution-wide as well is to get a better picture of what housing and food insecurity looks like for students across the commonwealth and at the world campus," Christensen said.
Anna Barone is the director of Student Care and Advocacy. She said the survey will allow her office to better understand how to address the issue of food and housing insecurity right now.
“There’s a lot that will come from this data that will really help us understand what, at least right now, students are truly, in real time, needing," Barone said. "And then we’ll be able to better understand the climate and push resources that way.”
Nicholas DiPierro is the treasurer of the Lion’s Pantry, a food bank for Penn State students. He said the survey will help the pantry figure out any adjustments they need to make to help the community.
“Overall, the survey will probably be effective in giving us some feedback, something to work with because we need some empirical evidence in order for us to make changes to the budget, or the operations, or whatever needs to be done to combat the issue,” DiPierro said.
The survey takes about five to 10 minutes to complete and will close on Friday. Students who complete the survey will be eligible to win an Amazon gift card worth up to $50.