A new of New Mexico college students shows that more than half struggle with food and housing insecurity.
Dr. Sarita Cargas is the study鈥檚 lead researcher and an associate professor at the University of New Mexico. Her team conducted a few years ago, but just for UNM students.
Last fall, the state鈥檚 Higher Education Department asked if she would expand it to look at students statewide, so she did. She said the results were, 鈥淪hocking, but unsurprising.鈥�
About 58% of students who took the survey were food insecure.
鈥淪o, that is almost 6,000 students 鈥� just from our sample," she said. "There is likely tens of thousands more who didn鈥檛 take our survey, so we're talking very high numbers."
鈥淢ost alarming,鈥� according to the report, is that nearly 4,000 students had 鈥渧ery low food security,鈥� the lowest level of
Indigenous, Black and LGBTQ+ students had the hardest time accessing 鈥渘utritionally adequate and safe food,鈥� including around two thirds of BIPOC students.
鈥淚f you come from families without intergenerational wealth, then it's going to affect you as a college student," Dr. Cargas said. "And our people of color in America don鈥檛 have as much intergenerational wealth as white people do."
After this story published, Dr. Cargas reached out to 九色网 to clarify her position, adding, 鈥淭here are many families of color that do have wealth and there are many poor white families.鈥�
The study found that many students face 鈥渕ultiple burdens.鈥� Most New Mexico students have unstable housing, and 14% have experienced homelessness in the last year.
Dr. Cargas hammered home the importance of dispelling the myth of the privileged college student, saying many in New Mexico are struggling and trying to balance it all.
Since the study has come out, UNM has started the "." Its webpage provides resources for food- and housing-insecure students.
